Teens and Social Media Survey

 Today’s teens are navigating a digital landscape unlike the one experienced by their predecessors, particularly when it comes to the pervasive presence of social media. In 2022, an in-depth survey asked American teens – and their parents – about their experiences with and views toward social media.

Findings: 

• A majority of teens use social media, YouTube being the most popular.
• TikTok use is more common among Black teens and among teen girls.
• Majorities of teens use TikTok and YouTube daily, some more often than that. 
• A majority of teens said it would be difficult to give up social media.
• Teens are more likely to say social media has had a negative effect on others than on themselves, and are more likely to report positive social media use experiences than negative ones.
• When it comes to social media platforms abuse, many teens think criminal charges or permanent bans would help a lot.
• Some teens, especially older teen girls, avoid posting certain things on social media out of fear of embarrassment or other reasons.
• Many teens don't think that have control over what information that social media companies collect about them.
• Some 22% of teens think their parents are extremely or very worried about them using social media, but 46% of parents ARE worried. 

Vogels, E., Gelles-Watnick, R., & Massarat, N. (2023). Teens, social media and technology. Pew Reserach Center. 

https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2022/08/10/teens-social-media-and-technology-2022/

Reality TV and Drama, Aggression, and Self-Worth in Teenage Girls

According to a study by the Girl Scout Research Institute, reality TV has become staple entertainment for young people and adults alike, tween and teen girls who regularly view reality TV accept and expect a higher level of drama, aggression, and bullying in their own lives, and measure their worth primarily by their physical appearance.

Key findings include:

-       The vast majority of girls think reality shows "often pit girls against each other to make the shows more exciting" (over three fourths). When comparing the propensity for relational aggression between viewers and non-viewers of reality TV, three fourths vs. half state that "gossiping is a normal part of a relationship between girls."

-       Regarding romantic relationships, reality TV viewers are more likely than non-viewers to say "girls often have to compete for a guy's attention" (three fourths vs. two thirds), and are happier when they are dating someone or have a boyfriend/significant other (half vs. a fourth).

-       Girls who view reality TV regularly are also more focused on the value of physical appearance. Three fourths say they spend a lot of time on their appearance vs. less than half of non-viewers, while more than a third (a third) think that a girl's value is based on how she looks.

-       Girls surveyed who regularly view reality TV are more self-assured than non-viewers when it comes to an overwhelming majority of personal characteristics, with the majority considering themselves mature, a good influence, smart, funny, and outgoing. 

-       Two thirds of girls agree that reality shows "make me think I can achieve anything in life" and half think that they "help [them] realize there are people out there like me." Three fourths of girls say that reality TV depicts people with different backgrounds and beliefs.

Girl Scout Research Institute (2011). Real to me: Girls and reality TV. New York City, NY: Girl Scout Research Institute. https://www.girlscouts.org/content/dam/girlscouts-gsusa/forms-and-documents/about-girl-scouts/research/real_to_me_factsheet.pdf

How School Characteristics Affect Boys’ and Girls’ Educational Success

This study investigated how school resources, being schools’ socioeconomic composition, proportion of girls, and proportion of highly educated teachers, and school practices, being schools’ application of well-rounded assessment methods, influenced girls’ and boys’ reading performance differently. The results showed that boys profited more than girls from having a large proportion of girls in school. Contrary to their expectations, girls gained more than boys from a school’s advantaged socioeconomic composition. The findings are likely to add to the debate over single-sex education, as districts experiment with single-sex classes and schools. Additionally, this study helps shed light on whether school characteristics affect girls’ and boys’ educational performance differently.

van Hek, M., Kraaykamp, G., & Pelzer, B. (2017): Do schools affect girls’ and boys’ reading performance differently? A multilevel study on the gendered effects of school resources and school practices. School Effectiveness and School Improvement. https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09243453.2017.1382540