Social media is a complex environment that presents both the chances and threats to teenagers, with self-exaggeration and emotional support on the one hand and dependence on the body. This complexity attaches importance to the challenge of regulating the use of young social media, but it also points to the young people to protect another avenue.
The growing discussion on the use of adolescent social media has intensified by the efforts of the latest bipartisal policy in the United States, such as online children’s operation, striving to protect young people from digital damage. These efforts reflect legal concerns. However, the wide limitations of social media can limit the benefits of teenagers by throwing a child with bath water.
I am a researcher who studies online security and digital welfare. My latest work highlights a critical point with partners of the computer scientist Pamela Uisnevsky’s socio-technical interaction. Social media is neither typical nor utility utility. It is a tool that is formed with its design, how does teenagers use it and their context?
In other words, Social media The effect is formed with its availability. How are platforms designed and what gives them the opportunity to do or constrain them from doing so? Some features of a foster relationship, while others strengthen the damage.
As a society moves towards online safety solutions, it is important to use evidence-based research on how these features form the experience of adolescent social media and how to be transformed for young people. It is also important to include prospects for young people to point out what policies and formation of choices should be made to protect young people using social media. My colleagues and I analyzed more than 2000 posts at the age of 15-17 at the age of 15-17, on the online peers support platform. Teenagers openly discussed their experience with popular social media platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat and Tiktok.
Their voices highlight the potential path. This approach respects the youth agency by prioritizing digital welfare.
What teenagers say about social media
Before the worst results of social media, such as cyberries or mental health crises are often focused, our research shows that teenagers’ experience is much more sensitive. Instead, platforms allow a variety of results, depending on their features and design.
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Adolescents are usually described in negative experiences related to social drama, cybercrime and privacy. For example, Instagram was a focal point for body-embarrassment and self-esteem, which was due to visual content. Facebook Protests have caused confidentiality violations such as parents without adoption of adolescents. Snapchat, while teenagers are subject to risky interactions due to its ephemeral messages, which stimulates intimate, but potentially insecure connections.
At the same time, teenagers reported teenagers Social Media: Provides a place for support, inspiration and self-exaggeration, especially when offline spaces feel insulated. The teenagers used social media to overcome or seeking content. Snapchat and WhatsApp platforms were key areas to search for communication, giving teenagers to build relationships and find emotional support. Snapchat, in particular, passed the platform to promote personal personal connections, and Youtube teens Lizris to promote their creativity and identity by exchanging videos.
Many appreciated Instagram and Snapchat to provide inspiration, deviation or emotional assistance during a stressful period. Teenagers also used social media to get information, addressing YouTube and Twitter to learn new things, check information or solve technical problems.
These discoveries attach importance to a critical insight. Platform formation issues. Features such as algorithms, privacy control and content exchange mechanisms directly shape how young people feel social media. These revelations later question the perception of social media as a purely negative force. Instead, the experience of teenagers highlights its double nature. Space both at risk and opportunity.
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Since the society is moving towards practical solutions for online security, it is important to use evidence-based research on how these properties form teenagers social media experience (source, freepik).
A safer social media
Concept: design and features. Helps to explain why teenagers are different with platforms and provides safer design. For example, Instagram availability, such as image exchange and promotion of algorporphism enhances social comparison, leading to body-shame and self-esteem problems. Snapchat availability such as “best friends” encourages personal connections, but can contribute to risky interactions. At the same time, youTube availability, such as easy content creation and detection, contributes to self-esteem, but can contribute to the control of the time management due to its inexhaustible scroll design.
Understanding the special designs and features of this platform, it is possible to mitigate the risks without losing benefits. For example, Facebook could allow the relevant levels of parental control of teenagers during privacy. Instagram can reduce the algorithmic stimulation of harmful content. And Snapchat can improve security features.
With the design approach, this security is moving beyond limiting, focusing on the improvement of their platforms. Thinking about social media features, technology companies can strengthen teenagers to use these tools safe and meaningful. Policy makers can focus on holding Social Media: Companies that are responsible for the influence of their platforms while simultaneously promoting the digital rights of teenagers to benefit from the use of social media.
Call for security via design
It is important for policy makers to recognize the risks of that social media and reward the survival. However, instead of watching social media, politics developers can target the peculiarities of social media platforms that are likely to harm.
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For example, they may require platform companies to conduct security inspections or reveal algorithmic risks. These steps can encourage safer design without limiting access. Addressing platform access and design safety, it is possible to create digital areas that protect teenagers from damage, before that social media enable. The future build tools where teenagers can flourish are already available. They just have to be better designed.
