2014

The Effect of Social Network Sites on Adolescents’ Social

and Academic Development

Submitted by: Rimsa Khan

Course Number: MC512-A

Department: Mass
Communication

(B.A. Honors, 3rd Year)

Submitted on: 27th December,

2014
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Contents

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .......................................................................................................................... 3

INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................ 4
LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................................................................. 6
BACKGROUND OF SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES ......................................................................... 6
What are social network sites and how do youth use them? ................................................................. 7
RESEARCH PROBLEM .............................................................................................................................. 8
PROBLEM STATEMENT ........................................................................................................................... 8
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY / RESEARCH QUESTIONS ................................................................... 8
LIMITATIONS & SCOPE ........................................................................................................................... 9
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY .................................................................................................................. 9
Population & Sampling Design............................................................................................................. 9
POSITIVE SIDES OF SOCIAL MEDIA ................................................................................................... 10
BENEFITS OF CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS USING SOCIAL MEDIA ................................. 10
Socialization and Communication ...................................................................................................... 10
Enhanced Learning Opportunities ...................................................................................................... 11
Accessing Health Information ............................................................................................................ 11
Does Participation in SNS Affect Psychological Well-Being and Self Esteem? .................................... 12
Social Network Sites and Youth Relationships: Safety versus Social Capital ....................................... 12
Does Social Network Site Use Affect Student Grades and Learning? ................................................... 13
Facebook Depression .............................................................................................................................. 14
Influence of Advertisements on Buying ................................................................................................. 14
DISCUSSION AND RESULTS ................................................................................................................. 16
SURVEY RESULTS .............................................................................................................................. 16
PROPOSED RESULTS .......................................................................................................................... 16
RECOMMENDATIONS ............................................................................................................................ 17
CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................................................... 18
REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................................... 19

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 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Teenagers are among the most prolific users of social network sites (SNS). Emerging studies find

that youth spend a considerable portion of their daily life interacting through social media.

Subsequently, questions and controversies emerge about the effects SNS have on adolescent

development. This review outlines the theoretical frameworks researchers have used to

understand adolescents and SNS. It brings together work from disparate fields that examine the

relationship between SNS and social capital, privacy, youth safety, psychological well-being,

and educational achievement. These research strands speak to high-profile concerns and

controversies that surround youth participation in these online communities, and offer ripe areas

for future research. Also, this research paper will allow us to understand both merits and

demerits of Social networking sites and proposed results and recommendations made on solid

grounds will enable us to make better use of technology.

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INTRODUCTION

The current tools of teenage communication go by a peculiar set of names. Wall Posts, Status

Updates, Activity Feeds, Thumbs Ups, and Profiles are some of the ways that youth today

communicate with one another. These tools are features of social network sites (SNS), such as

Facebook and MySpace. SNS are part of a suite of Web applications, also called social media,

which utilize Web 2.0 principles..

Engaging in various forms of social media is a routine activity that research has shown to benefit

children and adolescents by enhancing communication, social connection, and even technical

skills. Social media sites such as Facebook and MySpace offer multiple daily opportunities for

connecting with friends, classmates, and people with shared interests. During the last 5 years, the

number of preadolescents and adolescents using such sites has increased dramatically. According

to a recent poll, 22% of teenagers log on to their favorite social media site more than 10 times a

day, and more than half of adolescents log on to a social media site more than once a day.

Seventy-five percent of teenagers now own cell phones, and 25% use them for social media,

54% use them for texting, and 24% use them for instant messaging. Thus, a large part of this

generation's social and emotional development is occurring while on the Internet and on cell

phones.

Because of their limited capacity for self-regulation and susceptibility to peer pressure, children

and adolescents are at some risk as they navigate and experiment with social media. Recent

research indicates that there are frequent online expressions of offline behaviors, such as

bullying, clique-forming, and sexual experimentation, that have introduced problems such as

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cyber bullying, and privacy issues. Other problems that merit awareness include Internet

addiction and concurrent sleep deprivation.

Many parents today use technology incredibly well and feel comfortable and capable with the

programs and online venues that their children and adolescents are using. Nevertheless, some

parents may find it difficult to relate to their digitally savvy youngsters online for several

reasons. Such parents may lack a basic understanding of these new forms of socialization, which

are integral to their children's lives. They frequently do not have the technical abilities or time

needed to keep pace with their children in the ever-changing Internet landscape. In addition,

these parents often lack a basic understanding that kids' online lives are an extension of their

offline lives. The end result is often a knowledge and technical skill gap between parents and

youth, which creates a disconnect in how these parents and youth participate in the online world

together.

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 LITERATURE REVIEW

A national survey in 2009 finds that 73% of online teenagers use SNS, which is an increase from

55% 3 years earlier (Lenhart, Purcell, Smith, & Zickuhr, 2010).The fact that youth are connected

to these global online communities is both a frightening prospect for parents And educators and

an intriguing area for social science research. Another research states that, Over 60% of 13 – 17

year olds have profiles on social networking sites (SNS). Many young people are spending

upwards of two hours a night on online social networking activities.

40% of young people with social network Only 18% of young people have not yet tried

profiles have the information on them set as using a social network site (MSN/MTV, 2007)

public – visible to anyone. (Ofcom, 2008)

BACKGROUND OF SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES

Social Network Sites (SNS) like Bebo, Facebook and MySpace have driven a massive growth in

young people's online social networking since the emergence of MySpace in 2003, and Facebook

and Bebo in 2005 (alongside a range of other niche Social Network Sites that have developed

over the period)iii. However, these sites, which can be accessed both by computer and mobile

phone, are in all likelihood only the beginning of online social networking trends which will

continue to reshape much of young people's local and global communication with significant

real-world consequences both positive and negative.

Whilst not all young people are actively using SNS (and those from disadvantaged background

are less likely to have frequent or regular access to them) their impact is widespread. Lack of

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access to online social networking opportunities may impact upon young people's social

exclusion – as many of the social conversations and co-ordination between young people moves

into SNS spaces.

What are social network sites and how do youth use them?

When a teenager joins a site like Facebook they first create a personal profile. These profiles

display information such as one’s name, relationship status, occupation, photos, videos, Religion,

ethnicity, and personal interests. What differentiates SNS from previous media like a personal

homepage is the display of one’s friends (boyd & Ellison, 2007). In addition to exhibiting a

network of friends, other users can then click on their profiles and traverse ever widening social

networks. These three features—profiles, friends, traversing friend lists—represent the core,

defining characteristics of SNS. Social networking features are increasingly integrated into other

types of media tools and online communities.

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RESEARCH PROBLEM

In this research article, I consider several key controversies around youth participation in SNS

and review relevant research that begin to form these debates.

Online social networking presents many opportunities to young people by making it easier for

them to, amongst other things: publish creative works to local and global audiences; stay in touch

and communicate with peers; find and interact with people with shared interests. However,

online social networking can also expose young people to new risks. Risks from: inappropriate

content; commercialism and unsuitable advertising; inappropriate or offensive conduct on SNS;

and also criminal activities such as identity theft; and inappropriate contact (online and offline)

from strangers – which may include grooming and in the most serious cases, sexual abuse.

PROBLEM STATEMENT

“The Effect of Social Network Sites on Adolescents’ Social and Academic Development”

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY / RESEARCH QUESTIONS

These are some of the key questions and factors, around which my article revolves :

1. Does adolescent participation in SNS expose them to harm or help them develop

relationships?

2. Do youth activities in SNS influence their personal development in terms of self-esteem

and psychological well-being?

3. Does SNS use affect student learning or academic achievement?

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LIMITATIONS & SCOPE

The data for this research article was gathered through secondary research. Through different

established researches done previously on my chosen topic, I have gathered the relevant facts

and statistics .Also through these; I have laid down my findings final results.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Research Design

This is a descriptive research and data has been gathered through numerous secondary sources;

including research articles and recently conducted surveys.

Population & Sampling Design

It includes all Adolescents between the ages of 12–18. I have used the terms youth, teenagers,

and adolescents interchangeably throughout the text.

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POSITIVE SIDES OF SOCIAL MEDIA

The group and communication tools on social networking sites can provide ways to keep young

People in touch with services and with each other, to build bridges between different groups, and

to promote ongoing collaboration on projects between face-to-face sessions. Social network sites

can provide a platform for sharing young people’s creative efforts, or for enabling young people

to have a public voice on issues that affect them. Online social networking also offers the

potential for new forms of online outreach work or for working with groups with shared interests

from across a wide geographical area (e.g. online work with socially excluded young people and

young people from rural areas.

BENEFITS OF CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS USING SOCIAL MEDIA

Socialization and Communication

Social media sites allow teens to accomplish online many of the tasks that are important to them

offline: staying connected with friends and family, making new friends, sharing pictures, and

exchanging ideas. Social media participation also can offer adolescents deeper benefits that

extend into their view of self, community, and the world, including:

1. opportunities for community engagement through raising money for charity and

volunteering for local events, including political and philanthropic events;

2. enhancement of individual and collective creativity through development and sharing of

artistic and musical endeavors;

3. growth of ideas from the creation of blogs, podcasts, videos, and gaming sites;

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 4. expansion of one's online connections through shared interests to include others from

more diverse backgrounds (such communication is an important step for all adolescents

and affords the opportunity for respect, tolerance, and increased discourse about personal

and global issues)

5. Fostering of one's individual identity and unique social skills.

Enhanced Learning Opportunities

Middle and high school students are using social media to connect with one another on

homework and group projects. For example, Facebook and similar social media programs allow

students to gather outside of class to collaborate and exchange ideas about assignments. Some

schools successfully use blogs as teaching tools, which has the benefit of reinforcing skills in

English, written expression, and creativity.

Accessing Health Information

Adolescents are finding that they can access online information about their health concerns

easily and anonymously. Excellent health resources are increasingly available to youth on a

variety of topics of interest to this population, such as sexually transmitted infections, stress

reduction, and signs of depression. Adolescents with chronic illnesses can access Web sites

through which they can develop supportive networks of people with similar conditions. The

mobile technologies that teens use daily, namely cell phones, instant messaging, and text

messaging, have already produced multiple improvements in their health care, such as increased

medication adherence, better disease understanding, and fewer missed appointments. Given that

the new social media venues all have mobile applications, teenagers will have enhanced

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opportunities to learn about their health issues and communicate with their doctors. However,

because of their young age, adolescents can encounter inaccuracies during these searches and

require parental involvement to be sure they are using reliable online resources, interpreting the

information correctly, and not becoming overwhelmed by the information they are reading.

Encouraging parents to ask about their children's and adolescents' online searches can help

facilitate not only discovery of this information but discussion on these topics.

Does Participation in SNS Affect Psychological Well-Being and Self Esteem?

Self-esteem and psychological well-being are the two most common outcomes of interest in prior

Internet and SNS studies. Scholars use a variety of scales that include measures of loneliness,

depression, and overall life satisfaction (i.e., Kraut et al., 1998). A key debate among researchers

considers whether higher use of the Internet affects one’s self-esteem and psychological well-

being (Kraut et al., 1998; Valkenburg & Peter, 2009a).The researchers found that longer use of

the Internet was related to increased depression, loneliness, and smaller social circles. The results

suggest that Internet use isolates individuals from their friends and family, and has a negative

impact on one’s psychological well-being.

Social Network Sites and Youth Relationships: Safety versus Social Capital

A major controversy surrounding SNS is youth safety and privacy. Approximately 70% of

school districts block access to SNS, and the main reason for this trend centers on fears about

student safety (Lemke et al., 2009). However, initial research on SNS suggests that these online

communities help individuals build social capital. Social capital refers to the idea that one

derives benefits—i.e., advice, information, or social support—through their network of

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relationships (Portes, 1998). A critical theoretical concern for youth is whether and how SNS

facilitate detrimental behaviors such as bullying and interacting with strangers, versus positive

outcomes such as developing wider networks of relationships.

The early picture concerning youth and online privacy is mainly positive. Nearly every major

SNS offers privacy controls. In fact, “These privacy measures have given adolescent users a

great deal of control over who views their profiles, who views the content that they upload, and

with whom they interact on these online forums” (Subrahmanyam & Greenfield, 2008, p. 123).

Current research finds that teenagers disclose a variety of personal information on their profiles,

but they also proactively use privacy features to manage who can view their content (Hinduja &

Patchin, 2008; Lenhart & Madden, 2007). Lenhart and Madden (2007) reports from a nationally

representative sample of youth that 66% of teenagers limit their profile to particular people in

their network. A cross-sectional study of a college student sample also reports that privacy

concerns did not hinder users ‘desire to share personal information on their profiles. Rather,

students used privacy features to control and limit who could view their information (Tufecki,

2008).

Does Social Network Site Use Affect Student Grades and Learning?

A conference paper by Karpinski (2009) received much media attention with findings that

college Facebook users have lower GPAs than students who are not users of the site. Karpinski

offers several hypotheses for these findings. For example, perhaps Facebook users spend too

much time online and less time studying.

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The early studies of youth literacy with social media suggest that t teens use social technologies

to delve deeper into interest-driven communities and activities (Ito et al., 2009). Perhaps SNS

provide a platform for youth to participate in communities that help them learn, and practice

skills, within particular knowledge areas.

Facebook Depression

Researchers have proposed a new phenomenon called “Facebook depression,” defined as

depression that develops when preteens and teens spend a great deal of time on social media

sites, such as Facebook, and then begin to exhibit classic symptoms of depression. Acceptance

by and contact with peers is an important element of adolescent life. The intensity of the online

world is thought to be a factor that may trigger depression in some adolescents. As with offline

depression, preadolescents and adolescents who suffer from Facebook depression are at risk for

social isolation and sometimes turn to risky Internet sites and blogs for “help” that may promote

substance abuse, unsafe sexual practices, or aggressive or self destructive behaviors

Influence of Advertisements on Buying

Many social media sites display multiple advertisements such as banner ads, behavior ads (ads

that target people on the basis of their Web-browsing behavior), and demographic-based ads (ads

that target people on the basis of a specific factor such as age, gender, education, marital status,

etc) that influence not only the buying tendencies of preadolescents and adolescents but also their

views of what is normal. It is particularly important for parents to be aware of the behavioral ads,

because they are common on social media sites and operate by gathering information on the

person using a site and then targeting that person’s profile to influence purchasing decisions.

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Such powerful influences start as soon as children begin to go online and post. Many online

venues are now prohibiting ads on sites where children and adolescents are participating. It is

important to educate parents, children, and adolescents about this practice so that children can

develop into media-literate consumers and understand how advertisements can easily manipulate

them.

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 DISCUSSION AND RESULTS

SURVEY RESULTS

Approximately 91% of youth who use SNS report that they utilize the sites to communicate with

already known friends (Lenhart & Madden, 2007). Qualitative studies also converge with this

finding that U.S. youth mostly use SNS to interact with friends and not to meet strangers (Agosto

&Abbas, 2010; boyd, 2008). Studies also find that teenagers are less likely to experience

unwanted sexual solicitations or harassment in SNS, while more likely to experience these

dangers in instant messaging and chat room environments (Ybarra & Mitchell, 2008). This initial

research suggests that the fears about SNS creating opportunities for predators to solicit children

are overstated. Nevertheless, these and other detrimental behaviors such as cyber bullying are

real concerns. Even if dangerous or negative experiences in SNS only account for a small

percentage of online activity, each instance represents a significant concern for adults, parents,

and educators.

PROPOSED RESULTS

From my analysis and literature review, I have come to this conclusion that like any other

technology, Social networking Sites also have both merits and demerits. If used for the right

purpose, online activities can be beneficial for youth, and can play an important role in their

academic development and psychological well being. But on the other hand, if these are used for

the wrong purpose, effects can be quite detrimental and damaging.

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RECOMMENDATIONS

Based on mentioned facts, controversies regarding effects of SNS on youth behavior, and my

analysis and results, I propose following recommendations:

1. Parents should talk to their children and adolescents about their online use and the

specific issues that today’s online kid’s face.

2. Parents should also keep checks of privacy settings and online profiles for inappropriate

posts.

3. Youth can help educate their parents on the resources and websites available online,

which can help adults better supervise and facilitate their safety.

4. While there are many educational programs and policy initiatives that work to promote

youth/child Internet safety, more evidence- and data-based evaluations of which

programs are most effective are needed to better inform future policies and program

implementation.

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 CONCLUSION

It is evident that technology has become an integral part of teenager’s life. Given its popularity,

parents and educators have considerable concerns about the effects of social networking sites on

their children and students. These concerns range from youth privacy, safety, psychological well-

being, social development, and academic performance. As noted earlier, researchers must take an

integrated approach to exploring social networking sites effects. The technology alone is not

likely to cause social outcomes such as well-being or learning. However, research clearly shows

that the technical features and infrastructure of a particular SNS community impacts user

behavior. In addition to taking a fine attention to the technical features of social networking sites,

one must also take into account social factors. Adolescents bring already existing social,

psychological, and emotional characteristics into the online community. These human factors

interact with the respective SNS platform to influence how individuals network and

communicate.

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REFERENCES

http://ahnjune.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/0Final-Ahn2011JASIST.pdf

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/127/4/800.full

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/127/4/800.full.pdf+html

http://www.voicesofyouth.org/en/posts/how-strongly-can-social-media-influence-and-control-people-s-
lives-

http://blog.practicalparticipation.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/fullYouth-Work-and-Social-
Networking-Final-Report.pdf

http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/research/files/papers/2014/10/21%20youth%20internet%20safety
%20farrukh%20sadwick%20villasenor/youth%20internet%20safety_v07.pdf

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