From a Teen's Perspective
What do teens themselves think about technology and how it affects their lives?
An interview conducted by CBS News in May of 2022, asks five adolescents and one eight year old what their views on social media-related topics and conflicts are to get the children's take on the affects social networking has on their lives.
Sam
17 years old
"I know my friends have taken my phone when I was younger, and I would alway get a little nervous about where's my phone? And that was the only thing on my mind when they took it."
Sam is explaining how he feels anxious without knowing where his cellphone is, showing he has a strong emotional connection and reliance toward his phone.
Naeem
8 years old
"When I saw stuff like that, [police brutality on social media] I'm thinking that we're not even out of slavery anymore. We're back where we were when times started."
Naeem is explaining his feelings toward being exposed to extreme political, racial, and environmental events and occurrences at such a young age and how it's impacted him. Although he isn't a teenager, he is still greatly affected by technology and social media.
Ellie
18 years old
"...when you're scrolling and you see all these different people, you constantly compare yourself... and it always seems like they're living the perfect life and you are not, even though that's not true."
In the interview, Ellie addresses one of the biggest conflicts between teenagers and social media. During our teen years, our brains are still developing, and a lot of exposure to stereotypes of what someone should look or be can be overwhelming for the growing mind. But although teens are aware of this negative influence, they willingly continue to use platforms that displays it.
Jade
16 years old
"Outside of school, me and my friends, we do a lot of voice calls a lot. And we play games, and we do study calls... I think this weekend, we probably spent like 15 hours on call."
Jade, like most teens, likes to stay in touch with her friends over texting and video calls. Calls can be good for help and communication, but this addresses the concern of: when is it too much screen time? Instead of using their phones to make a plan to meet to work on something together, they stay on the phone for countless hours at a time. This can be very time consuming and harmful when one gets so absorbed in the call that they don't take care of anything else, such as good sleep, hygiene, or even taking a break to eat.
Aaron
11 years old
"[Social media is...] --a great platform for some people, but a bad platform for others."
Aaron's statement is nothing but the truth. Some children such as toddlers or pre-teens shouldn't be exposed to extreme influences that can be found on social media because it can have a very negative affect on their development. It is better for mature teenagers or adults to be on social media because they are more likely to be able to know right from wrong on sites and platforms.
Tiara
16 years old
"It depends on what you allow yourself to see, who you follow, who you don't follow, what's on your explore page. It's just what you make it."
Tiara mentions that social media is "just what you make of it" which is both right and wrong. It is truthful if you know what you're doing and are able to tell what is okay to share or say on social media, because a digital footprint lasts forever. There are also scammers online that can make an innocent website a trap for a child who is unaware of the dangers and deception that can be found anywhere on the internet or any platforms.
All images and quoted text above is from CBSNews.com, specifically from video and article written by Tori B. Powell, titled: "Young people discuss how phones and social media create connection — and self-doubt: 'Compared to them, I am a nobody' " To watch the video for yourself, click HERE!