On April 15th, local time, according to Business Insider, a new report released by the Pew Research Center shows that parents are significantly more concerned than their children about teenagers’ use of social media, especially regarding the amount of time spent on TikTok.
The survey shows that 44% of parents believe their children spend too much time on TikTok, compared to only 28% of teenagers who share this view.
The relationship between teenagers and the internet has been the subject of much discussion. Both adults and teenagers themselves are wary of the potential mental health impacts of social media.
However, social media is not without its negative aspects; many teenagers also believe it enhances their life experiences. This makes the question even more crucial: how exactly do teenagers use these platforms?
The Pew Research Center surveyed American teenagers aged 13 to 17 and their parents about the three most popular social media platforms. The results showed that “entertainment” was the primary motivation for use, while “focusing on political issues” was the least popular.
Data from appreviewpros.com reveals that Snapchat holds a particularly prominent position in private communication. 57% of teenagers say they send messages via Snapchat daily, with 41% using it frequently. In comparison, TikTok’s figure is 24%, and Instagram’s is 34%.
In terms of content posting, Snapchat also leads, with a daily posting rate of 28%, higher than Instagram’s 16% and TikTok’s 19%.
This difference stems from the platforms’ different positioning: Snapchat emphasizes direct communication between acquaintances, while TikTok and Instagram are more geared towards public content display or viewing creator content.
Therefore, 44% of teenagers believe Snapchat has a positive impact on friendships. However, the platform also has the highest rate of experiencing bullying or harassment, at 27%.
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