![]() ![]() As researchers have found with the internet more broadly, racism (i.e., often reflecting perspectives of those building technology) is built into social media platforms. In general, potential risks are likely to be greater in early adolescence-a period of greater biological, social, and psychological transitions, than in late adolescence and early adulthood. 6 Because adolescents mature at different rates, and because there are no data available to indicate that children become unaffected by the potential risks and opportunities posed by social media usage at a specific age, research is in development to specify a single time or age point for many of these recommendations. 5 Age-appropriate use of social media should be based on each adolescent’s level of maturity (e.g., self-regulation skills, intellectual development, comprehension of risks) and home environment. Adolescent development is gradual and continuous, beginning with biological and neurological changes occurring before puberty is observable (i.e., approximately beginning at 10 years of age), and lasting at least until dramatic changes in youths’ social environment (e.g., peer, family, and school context) and neurological changes have completed (i.e., until approximately 25 years of age). Scientific findings offer one piece of information that can be used along with knowledge of specific youths’ strengths, weaknesses, and context to make decisions that are tailored for each teen, family, and community. Not all findings apply equally to all youth. Adolescents’ experiences online are affected by both 1) how they shape their own social media experiences (e.g., they choose whom to like and follow) and 2) both visible and unknown features built into social media platforms.Ĭ. ![]() In other words, the effects of social media likely depend on what teens can do and see online, teens’ preexisting strengths or vulnerabilities, and the contexts in which they grow up. In most cases, the effects of social media are dependent on adolescents’ own personal and psychological characteristics and social circumstances-intersecting with the specific content, features, or functions that are afforded within many social media platforms. Adolescents’ lives online both reflect and impact their offline lives. Using social media is not inherently beneficial or harmful to young people.
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