Social Media and Your Teen
Are you wondering who your teen is telling all too? Are you anxious that he/she may be spilling too much on Facebook or other social media sites? If so, worry not.
New research reveals that when it comes to off loading worries and fears, diaries are still more popular with teens than social networking sites!
The research conducted by E4 to tie in with the new and very funny series
My Mad Fat Diary, which is based on the real-life teenage diaries of Rae Earl (starts tonight 10pm E4) found that:
- 83% of today’s teenage girls keep a personal pen-and-paper diary – compared with 69% in 1990s
- 95% of teenage girls admit they withhold their most personal information from those they connect with on Facebook and Twitter
- 64% of teenage girls say writing in a private diary makes them feel better
- 78% of teenage girls say they have worries about posting thoughts and feelings on social media
And despite 71% of 16-19 year old girls saying they post some of their thoughts and feelings on social media, almost all (95%) admit they withhold their most personal information, such as their crushes, problems at home, depression and body image issues.
From a parenting point of view this is good news because teens on social media is one of the key areas many parents say they feel anxious about. Knowing that most teens are smart enough to be wary of broadcasting all to everyone is lets face it good news for them and good news for us (who wants their latest teen/parent dispute aired to all).
Having said that we like the expert advice that drumming home the privacy issue (and finding out what your kids are doing online) is a subject that’s worth revisiting at regular intervals to kids of all ages, whether they’re posting You Tube videos, or talking friends on Facebook and email.
So does the above help put your mind at rest about social media or not? Let us know…
