Most Teens Prefer to Chat Online, Rather Than in Person
Most Teens Prefer to Chat Online, Rather Than in Person
About two-thirds favor online communication over
face-to-face talks with friends, survey finds
According to a new study from the nonprofit Common Sense
Media, 89% of teens say they have smartphones. That compares with 41% six years
ago.
By Betsy Morris Sept. 10, 2018 12:46 p.m. ET
More than two-thirds of teens say they would rather
communicate with their friends online than in person, according to a new study
that comes as tech companies are trying to help parents and children monitor
the time spent online.
The study, from the nonprofit Common Sense Media, is an
update of a similar survey conducted in 2012 that was one of the first to
document the influence of digital media on teens. It lands as Silicon Valley’s
technology titans—including Facebook Inc. and Alphabet Inc.’s YouTube—are
trying to address rising parental concerns about whether too much screen time
can be hurtful.
The percentage of young people who said their favorite
way to talk to friends is face-to-face declined to 32% from 49% six years ago,
according to the survey of more than 1,000 13 to 17-year-olds conducted in
March and April.
“You can’t help but say, ‘Is there something big going on
here?’—some fundamental shift in the way people will be communicating with each
other in the future,” said Vicky Rideout, of VJR Consulting, the co-author and
lead researcher on the project.
Ms. Rideout also noted two other survey findings: a
increase to 54%, from 44% six years ago, of teens who say their devices
distract them when “I should be paying attention to the people I’m with;” and a
big percentage of teens, 44%, who say they are frustrated with friends for
being on their phones so much when they are hanging out together.
“I start to wonder are we getting into some negative
feedback loop. You’re distracted with people when you’re with them and they’re
distracted and it isn’t as fun in person so you’d rather be communicating online,”
Ms. Rideout said.
Common Sense, based in San Francisco, promotes safe media
and technology for children.
The new study also highlights the increasing frequency of
social-media use among teens, 89% of whom now say they have smartphones
compared with 41% six years ago. Now, 70% of teens say they use social media
more than once a day compared with 34% six years ago; 38% say they are on social media multiple times an hour, and 16%
say they use it almost constantly.
“These updated estimates of teens’ social-media use are
helpful because they show how common it is for teens to be checking social
media several times per hour or per day,” said Dr. Jenny Radesky, a University
of Michigan assistant professor of pediatrics, who specializes in developmental
and behavioral health.
That is significant, she said, in light of a July article
in the Journal of the American Medical Association that suggested a link
between heavy media use—including frequently checking social media—and the
emergence of ADHD symptoms in teens.
She said there have also been recent reports of rising
ADHD rates in U.S. children. “That’s only one study so far,” Dr. Radesky said,
“but I think it shows that we need to dig deeper into how the frequent split
attention, instant gratification and emotional arousal that stem from media use
might be influencing teens’ thinking processes.”
When asked which social-media site they use most, 41% of
the teens said Snapchat; 22% said Instagram; and 15% said Facebook. Six years ago, 68% of the teens said Facebook
was their main social-media site.
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