Popular Social Media Apps and How Teens & Tweens Are Using Them
Posted on 8 March 2017 by Myros Allegre
Social Media Apps Tweens & Teens Are Using
The addiction to social media and mobile apps is no secret amongst today’s teens and tweens. According to Pew Research Center, the availability of smartphones has resulted in 92% of teens (ages 13-17) saying they go online every day, and 24% of teens stating that they are online “almost constantly.” With this many teens online at such a high level of frequency, what exactly are they doing?
Social media is a major draw among this demographic, and there are a number of social media apps that rise above the rest in popularity. Research reports that Facebook is still the most popular and frequently used social media appamong teens, with 71% of them claiming to use it. Instagram comes in next at 52%, followed by Snapchat (41%) and Twitter (33%).
According to Common Sense Media, tweens (ages 8-12) and teens (ages 13-18) use their media differently. Teens are more likely to multi-task, using their device or computer to listen to music (76%), text (60%), watch TV (51%), or use social media (50%) while they are doing their homework.
The Social Fabric of Tween/Teen Life
With all of this time online, how do tweens and teens use social media? In today’s highly technological world, social media acts as a place tweens and teens can hang out and socialize outside of home and school. Despite the high number of teens that still use Facebook, this is slowly changing as they begin to favor Instagram and Snapchat.
When on these apps, teens and tweens are chatting, playing games, and snapping and sharing photos and other images they find online. Contrary to parents’ concerns, in most cases, tweens and teens prefer to interact with kids they already know. However, with the vast amount of social media apps available, it becomes increasingly easier for your child to interact with strangers and friends, alike.
The key is to know which apps your child is using. Once you have that information, you can familiarize yourself with these platforms and how they are used. Sign up for an account, discover firsthand how these platforms are being used by kids.
This will help you maintain awareness of what your child is doing online and will allow you to offer your guidance on what they should and should not be posting. Sometimes kids share things with a wider group than intended; in these situations, parents can step in and use that incident as an opportunity to discuss their child’s awareness of their social sphere.
Ultimately, social media is here to stay, and has become a significant part of the social development of tweens and teens. Understanding that social media apps now are an integral part of adolescent life is a crucial realization for parents to have. They can then play a role in their child’s social media presence by teaching them appropriate online behavior, and monitor their app time-usage.
Hi ,
My name is Michaela and I
work for Xooloo, where we’ve developed an app that’s empowering children to
take control of their digital habits and allows parents to better manage screen
time using real time insights and benchmarks.
I did some research and saw
your article:
http://scottsagan.blogspot.com/2015/04/2015-2016-ttqs-emba-icap-la-cmc-pew.html
and I found your perspective on social media apps and teens very interesting.
In our article, Popular
Social Media Apps and How Teens & Tweens Are Using Them, we touched on
a similar topic and highlighted some interesting data such as:
1. 92% of teens (ages 13-17) saying they go
online every day
2. The different ways teens multi-task with
their devices while doing homework
3. A few tips for parents who want to better
understand their teen's app usage
You can see the whole article
here:
https://www.xooloo.com/social-media-apps-teens-tweens-using/
I’d love to hear your
thoughts on the piece, and if you enjoy it, I'd really appreciate it if you
could share it with your audience via your blog. If not, maybe through social
media?
Thanks for your time.
Michaela
Xooloo Digital Coach
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