A new Pew Research study of U.S. teens reports that how teens are using social media platforms is changing— perhaps for the better. The majority of teens associate positive outcomes with social media, and may be using it for constructive outcomes.

Roughly eight in ten teens say that social media makes them feel more connected to what is going on in their friends’ lives. Around two-thirds report that social media platforms make them feel as if they have people who will support them through tough times.

Teens say social media helps strengthen friendships, provide emotional support, but can also lead to drama, feeling pressure to post certain types of content

Close to half or more of teens report that they rarely or never share very personal information like selfies, things only their friends would understand, updates on their location, or personal videos. Only around one in ten say they share things related to their personal problems or their religious or political beliefs.

selfies and things only their closest friends would understand, but relatively few say they do this often

And only minorities of teens— just three in ten— say they delete or restrict posts because they don’t want their parents to view them.

Still, 45% of teens say they feel overwhelmed drama on social media, and about 40% say they feel pressure to only post content that makes them look good to others, or that will get lots of comments or likes.

It’s worthwhile to read the whole study here

Our staff wonders:

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