Social media is a staple in the lives of many teenagers these days. Teens have used social media since its beginning, but with the rise in social media popularity and platforms even more people have joined.
For many, social media is no different than teens hanging out at the soda fountains, bus stops or the local park or even chatting on the phone. I don’t know if you have been around any teens lately, but very few of them actually talk on the phone anymore. Talking on the phone has been replaced. I know many of us parents are worried about our teens and social media though. That being said, what are the benefits of social media for teens?
5 Benefits of Social Media for Teens
Socializing with Friends
I’m not big on peer pressure, but the reality is this. Most of your kids’ friends are on social media and if your kids aren’t, they are missing out on a lot of socialization with friends. This doesn’t mean that socialization can’t happen otherwise, it’s just less frequent for many.
Let’s put this into perspective, shall we? My daughter is almost 18. Until recently she had an Instagram and a Snapchat account. She deactivated it for her own mental health purposes, choosing instead to stay in touch with friends via text. She has now had 3 other teens run into her in public and say “Since you left IG or SC, I forgot you existed!” This has not prompted her return to social media, but it’s telling.
Feel Like They Fit In
For the same reasons as listed above, kids do often feel like they fit in better when they are on social media. As a mom, I have issues with this one because I don’t feel that they need social media to fit it, but this is the world in which we live in.
Express Their Creativity
Social media is a great outlet for expressing creativity. It’s fun to share the music they love, and music or art that they have created themselves.
Keep them Up to Date with Current Events
Not many people sit around and watch the news anymore (thank goodness). That said, social media is a great way to keep up on current events.
Learn About Career Opportunities
There are so many great examples of careers that kids can learn about online, that they may not see otherwise.
