The Impact of Social Media Technologies on Students: The Double Edged Sword

 

When considering educational technologies today it's important not to ignore social media. McCrindle's 2023 Gen Z inforgraphic reveals that, when asked what they use daily to learn new skills, the Gen Z (born 1995-2009) respondents cited TikTok, Instagram and YouTube as their most reliable sources

Image Source: McCrindle's GenZ research

Similarly, in Project Tomorrow's Speak Up Report from 2023, What Do K-12 students say about their digital learning experiences today?, 72% of middle schoolers and 73% of of high schoolers cite online videos as their second most used digital learning tool. In anecdotal conversations with the students I see, who are Generation Alpha (born 2010-2020), social media retains a powerful pull on them as well. Clearly, there is a feeling that Generations Z and Alpha are chronically online and using social media to learn new things and understand the world. The question is--is this phenomenon net positive or negative? And for educators--how does this and should this affect our teaching?

The Double Edged Sword

Image Source: Shutterstock

It is perhaps not surprising that, according to Common Sense Media's 2024 report, A Double Edged Sword: How Diverse Communities of Young People Think about the Multifaceted Relationship between Social Media and Mental Health, participating in social media has both benefits and costs for young people's well being. This study is exceptionally valuable because it was co-created with young contributors. They cite the benefits of social media to be emotional support, connection, awareness, community building, and simply decompressing/having fun. The other side of the sword are the negatives including seeing stressful content, hurtful comments about body image, homophobia, and racism, the envy and fear of missing out that social media can inspire, and the difficulty in setting boundaries that can lead to lack of sleep. Preteens and teens say they find it hard to turn away: they use social media platforms almost constantly and some prefer these over in-person interactions.

Another key finding of this report is that social media's dark side can more seriously affect teens of color, those who are part of the LGBTQIA+ community, and those who have experienced depressive symptoms. It's a very mixed bag: many teens from these groups step away and take a 'cleanse' from platforms such as YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, but at the same time they can find in these platforms community and support. It appears that it is too simplistic to conclude that using social media is a net positive or a net negative experience.

Social Media and Being a Teen Today

Is being a teen today harder or easier than in the past, and what role does social media play in this? According to the Pew Research Center, parents and teens say yes at different rates and for different reasons. 69% of parents think it is harder to be a teen today, whereas 44% of students think is is harder. What I found surprising is the perceived reasons why the two groups think it is harder to be a teen. For parents, the number one reason they cite is Technology/Social Media (41%), followed after that by Technology in General (26%). In contrast, teens cite More Pressure/Expectations (31%) as their number one reason why it's harder to be a teen now, with social media following second (25%).

When I began to read this study I thought to myself, as a parent, "Yes, it is harder to be a young person now." But what surprised me were the reasons most cited by parents. My answer was that kids have more pressure surrounding expectations, especially when it relates to academic achievement and college acceptance. This (along with things like gun violence in schools), is what I first think of when I consider what makes it harder to be a teen today. So I was surprised by parents in this study citing social media and technology in general as their first culprits making their children's lives difficult.

I was not surprised to see teens citing more pressure and expectations as their main explanations of why things are harder now than when their parents were teens. What is really interesting is that their second most cited culprit is social media, yet when the question is flipped and they discuss what makes life easier, they say technology actually is a positive force:

Image Source: Pew Research Center

So both the Common Sense Media and Pew Research Center's studies highlight the double edged sword of the chronically online generation. But what does that mean for educators?

Implications for Educators

As an aspiring school librarian, I need to understand my patrons. Studies about Gens Alpha and Z work together with what I'm observing with my own children and with those young people I see at school to paint a more detailed picture. Both sources point to social media as being a tool that has mixed implications. Current and future social media apps are, and likely will continue to be, ubiquitous and pervasive in the lives of most students. To condemn social media without participating in it or understanding its place in teens' lives is to condemn educators, especially in a space like a library, to obsolescence. 

For example, keeping a presence on social media (while protecting the privacy of students' and others' images) could increase the outreach potential of a school library. Librarians could post BookTok-style content in which they do rapid fire reviews of new titles or new technologies. We can let parents and students know when we are open before and after school or what programs we are running. 

Furthermore, it's important that we seek to understand the mental health challenges facing our students. Media literacy, in which we directly address social media, is one way we can open up conversations about their potential dark side. This blog from the University of San Diego gives some other tips and insights into how educators can be savvy about this double edged sword. 

Post Script: a tiny sample

I found the Pew Research study about whether it is harder to be a young person today than in the past so interesting that I asked my spouse and kids and here is some of what they said:

spouse: "I think...it is better to be a young person now than in the past. The world is in many ways kinder and more accepting...if you are in a developing country, there is vastly more opportunity and for a transformationally better standard of living than their parents."

son, age 23: "It is easier to be a young person now.  In the past: drafted into wars, Great Depression...now: way better living conditions."

daughter, age 21: "It's hard to compare...I think it's hard to be a young person now. We are bombarded with so much information, stimuli, complicated ideas at a young age that can be overwhelming. With so much access to information, our generation is nihilistic about the world, climate change, the economy...some things have improved like health, equality, and open mindedness. Social dynamics are maybe less brutal...there are more opportunities but there is more competition, young people are more invested in politics but also less optimistic. Much easier to be lgbt. But pressure, social media, access to global information = overwhelming."

Sources

Administrator. (2024, June 4). Social Media in Education: 13 ideas for the classroom. University of San Diego - Professional & Continuing Education. https://pce.sandiego.edu/social-media-in-education/ 

Faverio, M. (2024, August 27). Why many parents and teens think it’s harder being a teen today. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/feature/why-many-parents-and-teens-think-its-harder-being-a-teen-today/ 

Fenwick, J., Davis, M. A., Jancer, M., Caramela, S., Cooper, D., Hume, T., Hendy, E., & Thompson, N. (2024, August 9). We’re all chronically online now. VICE. https://www.vice.com/en/article/xgybvk/were-all-chronically-online-now/ 

The Generations Defined Report. McCrindle. (2024, June 6). https://mccrindle.com.au/resource/report/the-generations-defined-report/ 

Movie & TV reviews for parents. (n.d.). A double-edged sword: How diverse communities of young people think about the multifaceted relationship between social media and mental health. Common Sense Media. https://www.commonsensemedia.org/research/double-edged-sword-how-diverse-communities-of-young-people-think-about-social-media-and-mental-health