Social Media and its

effects on youth
 What is social media?

 Social media refers to interaction among people in

which they create, share, and/or exchange
information and ideas in virtual communities and
networks.
 Purpose of social media

 Checking facebook/twitter
 Finding information relevant to research
 Sending and receiving e-mail
 Downloading music and other things
 Listening to music
 Shopping (E-commerce)
 Chatting
 Some statistics related to social media

 Consumers continue to spend more time on social

networks than on any other category of sites—roughly 20
percent of their total time online via personal computer
(PC), and 30 percent of total time online via mobile.
 Facebook remains the most-visited social network in the
U.S. via PC (152.2 million visitors), mobile apps (78.4
million users) and mobile web (74.3 million visitors), and
is multiple times the size of the next largest social site
across each platform.
 51% of people aged 25–34 used social networking in the
office, more than any other age group.
 One out of eight couples married in the U.S. last year
met via social media according to statistics released
June 2011.
 One in six higher education students are enrolled in
an online curriculum.
 In November 2011, it was reported Indians spend
more time on social media than on any other activity
on the Internet.
 1 in 5 divorces have been blamed on Facebook.
 Use/ Consumption of Social Media

 93% of teens are active users of the internet (60‐70%

daily)
 75% of teens own a cellphone
 Teens average over 3000 texts per month (100/day)
 Text messaging has increased most dramatically,
along with media multi‐tasking
 What Teens do Online

The percentage of U.S. Internet users, ages 12‐17, who do the

following online:
 89% send or read email
 84% go to websites about movies, TV shows, music groups, or
sports
 81% play online games
 76% go online to get news or information about current events
 75% send or receive instant messages
 57% go online to get information about college
 43% buy online merchandise
 22% look for information about a health topic that’s hard to
talk about
 Teen Social‐Networking by the
Numbers

 51% of teens check their sites more than once a day.

 22% of teens check their site more than 10 times a day.
 39% of teens have posted something they later regretted.
 37% of teens have used sites to make fun of other
students.
 25% of teens have created a profile with a false identity.
 24%of teens have hacked into someone else’s
social‐networking account.
 13% of teens have posted nude or seminude pictures or
videos of themselves or others, online.
 Impact of media types

 Induced fear and phobias

 Media multi‐tasking affects attention
 Reality vs. fantasy
 Time use
 Behavioural changes
 Aggression and violence
 Tendency to be alone
 Anxiety problems
 Privacy issues
 Stress/hyper tension
 Over exposure to unwanted content
 Impact of high exposure on
behaviour and mental health

Middle schoolers use more media than any other age

group (8 hrs., 40 min per day)
 Lower academic achievement, grades
 Lower attachment to school
 Shorter attention spans
 Among youth who report internet harassment
victimization and unwanted sexual encounters
(sexting), 25% report extreme upset
 Exposure and violence

 Visiting hate and satanic sites are associated with

significantly elevated odds of violent behaviour
perpetration
 Exposure to media violence does not affect all
children in the same way.
 Studies

 Studies show exposure to TV violence activates brain

regions that regulate emotion, arousal and attention,
and episodic memory.
 Extensive viewing may lead to a large number of
aggressive scripts stored in long‐term memory that
end up influencing behaviour
 Cyber bullying
“When the Internet, cell
phones or other devices are
used to send or post text or
images intended to hurt or
embarrass another person.“

 65% of their students between 8-14 have been

involved directly or indirectly in a cyber bullying
incident as the cyber bully, victim or friend
 Cyber bullying

 Direct Bullying: (more typical of boys)

– Open physical attacks on victim
– Verbal (threats, emotional harm)
 Indirect (Relational) Bullying: (more typical of girls)
– Social isolation
– Peer rejection
 Cyber bullying/ electronic aggression
– Social network sites, facebook, twitter, email
– Blow down pages→ fake sites created to spread
rumors
 The problem with technology…

 Provides anonymity / it feels like a “safe world”

without consequences
 Indirect form of bullying
 Information spreads much faster and is put into the
hands of masses

VS
 How common is it?

 Over 30% of middle and HS students identify as

victims or perpetrators (some studies up to 50%)
 15‐22% admit cyberbullying others
 About 75% of youth recently witnessed bullying
 From ½ to ¾ youth admit bullying others
 About 1 in 3 youth report they have been a victim of
bullying
 Media Effects and Youth
Violence
Sexually Explicit Content
Drug & Alcohol Use
Body Image
Stereotyping
Ways to Combat Negative Media Effects Without
Overt Regulation

 Educating Youth in Media Literacy

 Parent-Child Interaction
 Moderation of media consumption
 Spending offline time more than online time
 Spending more time with family
 Choosing to meet people in person rather than online
 Yoga/exercises
 Keeping a check on internet activity and avoiding
excessive usage
Some pics depicting effect of
social media
 Thank you