Teens & Social Media
This week I had the opportunity to read 2 articles from the
Pew Research Center related to teen attitudes on and use of social media. According to their website, "Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world". The first was titled
Teens, Social Media & Technology 2018, published May 31, 2018. While this article has a truly impressive amount of interesting statistics on teen social media use, one in particular really jumped off the page:
45% of teens use the internet almost constantly.
Not only did the sheer number of teens identifying their use as almost constant surprise me, but also the rate of growth from the last data point -- in 2014-2015, only 24% reported that level of use. From my own practice, I can see the students' use of 1:1 technology in the classroom as a contributing factor to that growth, but I also see students reaching for their smartphones at every free moment (and maybe a few not-so-free moments) to check in on Snapchat. Incidentally, the study also confirmed some anecdotal observations I've had of students' go-to app being Snapchat: 35% of teens in the study identified Snapchat as their most used social media platform, which was highest across all platforms. Another contributing factor from the same study is the almost 90% of teens who have access to a smartphone. As I was composing this blog post, my wife was getting ready to head to graduation at the high school she works at and was commenting that she was worried that the students may have trouble staying off of their phones during the ceremony. This constant connectivity lead me to seek out a second article.
On Cyberbullying
The second article was titled
A Majority of Teens Have Experienced Some Form of Cyberbullying, published September 27, 2018. Cyberbullying can be loosely defined as abusive online behavior directed at a person or group. While the headline was concerning enough, I found a statistic further down the article particularly haunting:
58% of teens said teachers did an only fair or poor job in addressing online harassment and bullying.
If more than half of teens have experienced cyberbullying, and over half also say teachers are not doing a good job of addressing the issue, this is an area of great concern to all teachers! Combine these numbers with the statistic from the first article and we can begin to get an image of students whose social identity is increasingly online and who are increasingly bullied in this domain. Upon reflection I realized that as an experienced paraprofessional, substitute teacher, and Master's degree candidate I have not had any explicit training on how to combat cyberbullying beyond reporting it. I will definitely be seeking out professional development and further personal reading opportunities on the topic. In the meantime, if you know of any good resources or effective methods you've learned, please share them here.
Hello Domenick,
ReplyDeleteThe statistic you pointed out about 58% of teens say that teachers aren't doing enough to address cyber bullying is a sad thing to think about. I completely agree with your statement saying that this is a concern for all teachers. Sometimes cyber bullying feels like a tricky topic because we can't control what our students do, especially after they leave school! But it is definitely our job to guide our students as kind and responsible digital citizens. It's not always an easy task but it is without a doubt an important one!
To your request for resources, I highly recommend taking Nicole Zumpano's social media course. We explored digital citizenship quite a bit. I even created a Google Slides for that class on cyber bullying and being a good digital citizenship for that class and used it with my students. It was fun and we learned a lot. I'd be happy to share those resources if your interested!
Great post! Thanks for sharing.
Hi Dom- I really enjoyed reading your blog and learning some new stats and facts. I think what really stood out to me was the sheer amount of cyberbullying going on and the fact that teachers are doing such a poor job handling that. I know teachers can only do so much while students are in school, but if a student is coming to an adult for help then as teachers we need to do more to help that student.
ReplyDeleteThe statistics on how many teens have phones isn't something that is really shocking anymore. We have students in kindergarten coming to school with smart phones or iPads and parents think that this is ok because they want to be able to keep in contact with their child, but they really need to be focused on what is being taught and interacting with friends and playing. So many students are missing out on what is going on in the world and even what is happening right next to them because of smartphones. I love the comment your wife made about the graduating students maybe not being able to stay off their phones. Graduation is a monumental moment in life and this generation is missing out on special things like that because they constantly have to be connected to their phones or snap chatting instead of just enjoying the moment.
Hi Dom! A few things stuck out as alarming in this post. The statistics you found on social media and internet use are astounding and the stat on cyberbullying is almost unbelievable. I feel as though these statistics are MAJOR in the change of the way schools are run, and should really be at the forefront when thinking about how we teach. It is just another "thing" we as teachers need to think about when lesson planning, teaching content and teaching social-emotional skills. Let's just add that to the "list of things." It is interesting to think of technology on each side of the argument. In our field we see technology give students the ability to express themselves, learn in a safer way, and feel connected to peers. On the flipside of that technology has limited expression, limited safety, and caused a loss of connection. It really is a great topic of conversation and you blog post really made me think! Thanks, Dom!
ReplyDelete-Mary Kate
Hi Dom,
ReplyDeleteYou choose two good articles. I also read them. I must admit that I didn't grow up using computers. I probably spent most of my life being a "visiter" on the internet. I value all the wonderful convenience that it brings, especially to my professional life. I say this because I have learned to appreciate people from a variety of generations even when they have different interests than me. The articles that you selected about cyberbullying and teens constant use of the internet I find intriguing. I'm trying to find a happy medium between how I grew up and the current generation. I recently visited a relatives' home that has teenagers. I observed two cousins on their phone for hours in the same room. They barely spoke to anyone or interacted with the rest of the family. It was a beautiful warm day, but they choose not to join family outside. I found out later that they had been texting each other without sharing a verbal word between the two of them. I watch how my neighbor's elementary school children come in from school but never play in their backyard no matter what the weather is like or even during the weekend. The internet is a wonderful tool that can be useful in building relations and staying in touch. However, I think it should be monitored so children and teens have a well-rounded life free from constant internet use. This may decrease cyberbullying as well. Thank you for your comments, Dom.
This is a great reflection! Both statistics you mentioned are important ones. While I agree that there are absolutely problems with students being online "almost constantly" I have also witnessed this by teachers! It's something we all need to be aware of. In terms of the cyberbullying I agree that there hasn't been much formal training that I've heard of. I applaud your goal of wanting to find out more!
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