How does social media affect teens’ social skills?
While social media communities are particularly appealing to teens, social media and social skills can have a detrimental relationship, especially in areas of confidence and communication in this still-developing age group. At the Social Media Victims Law Center, we aim to provide parents of kids through teenagers with the education and resources they need and join them to fight for more responsible online platforms for young people.
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Kids will be kids. They may make bad decisions, get into unsafe situations, and act out as they grow up. In fact, until the age of 25, a person’s brain is still growing. The frontal lobe, the part of the brain responsible for higher-level thinking, decision-making, and evaluating the consequences of risky behavior, is the last part of the brain to develop fully.
With the internet and social media rise comes a seemingly never-ending supply of risky behavior for tweens and teens to engage in. An article published by JMIR Pediatrics and Parenting explains how some of the most-used social media platforms originated when today’s adolescents were infants. This type of technology has essentially been woven into their developmental experience.
How can you protect your child from the pitfalls of social media as a parent?
In a 2022 study, the Pew Research Center found that teens’ smartphone access increased from 71 percent in 2014 to 95 percent today. Unsurprisingly, 35 percent of teens use at least one of the top five social media platforms “almost constantly”.
Although social media may benefit teens by helping them connect with friends and explore their interests, parents face a delicate balance with the risks it poses. For example, online interactions can negatively influence teenagers’ self-esteem and confidence in handling offline social situations.
Understanding how social media impacts teens’ social skills is essential to deciding whether or not to let your kids use these online platforms.
How is social media affecting teens’ social skills?
The American Psychological Association defines social skills as “a set of learned abilities that enable an individual to interact competently and appropriately in a given social context.” Self-regulation, friendship-making, and the ability to communicate effectively may be complex traits for teens to foster in stressful online environments.
How does social comparison play into teens’ social media use?
Teenagers are especially susceptible to the stress of social comparison when using social media. Popularized by psychologist Leon Festinger in 1954, the social comparison theory proposes that people instinctively compare themselves to others to evaluate their beliefs, appearance, and abilities.
As teens spend more screen time on social media, they have more opportunities for comparison and self-doubt. They routinely view highlight reels of their peers’ most enviable moments, not fully realizing that those same individuals also have struggles.
If your teen constantly compares themselves to carefully curated images of their peers and celebrities, their self-esteem and body image may suffer. Research supports the idea that social media use contributes to teen body image concerns and can lead to mental health outcomes such as eating disorders — especially for girls.
Does indirect communication reduce teens’ social competence?
According to the Child Mind Institute, learning to communicate via screens may reduce your teen’s confidence in navigating face-to-face conversations, relationships, and challenges.
If a teen’s social media engagement outweighs their in-person interactions, they may struggle to identify critical social cues such as:
- Body language
- Facial expression
- Vocal tone and pitch
Boundaries and personal space
Using these cues to navigate interpersonal communication is a crucial element of social competence, which the American Psychological Association calls “an increasingly important component of mental health.”
The Importance of Building Social Skills for Teens
In a study spanning 20 years, researchers found that early social competence was strongly linked to future success in all areas of life. Students with higher social competence scores were twice as likely to obtain college degrees in early adulthood. In comparison, those with lower scores had a 67 percent higher chance of being arrested by early adulthood.
Adolescence is crucial for developing the more advanced skills needed in this early adulthood. Teenagers begin to handle increasingly complex relationships and need to develop essential social skills, such as:
- Listening: Effective communication, healthy relationships, and future workplace environments will require teens to be good listeners and follow directions.
- Problem-Solving: Life won’t always be a smooth ride, so teens must learn how to resolve issues, ask for help, and apologize when necessary.
Interpersonal Skills: Becoming an adult means learning to function as a positively contributing community member. Teens practice these skills by engaging in back-and-forth conversations and lending a hand to help others.
Positive social media interactions can help teens build some skills, but online interactions have different contexts and challenges.
How do teens socialize differently on social media?
Online communication platforms have their benefits and drawbacks. According to researchers, online interactions provide:
- Less effective communication of nonverbal cues
- More anonymity, which can affect what people say and how they choose to say it
- More opportunities to build new ties and strengthen weak ones
Broader dissemination of information
Social media has allowed teens to communicate with a broader range of people. However, because they have less experience communicating, they may be more vulnerable to the nuances of online communication.
Can socializing online be harmful to teens?
From getting a compliment on their selfie to being outed online, teens encounter positive and negative attention when they spend time on social media. And because the social reward centers of their brains are still developing, they’re susceptible to such comments.
A study published in Child Development revealed that teens who received fewer “likes” in standardized social media interactions had more negative thoughts about themselves. In addition, increased feelings of rejection were associated with more severe cases of depression.
If your child or teen was physically or mentally harmed as a result of their addiction to social media platforms, you may have legal options. We can help explain your rights.
How can parents help teens navigate social media and build social skills?
Research suggests that parents can help their teens build healthier relationships with social media. In a recent study published in Current Opinion in Psychology, scientists reviewed media-specific parenting styles. They considered how those styles affect teens’ social media use and related well-being.
According to the researchers, the best approach seems to be for parents to monitor and mediate social media use in a way that supports teens’ autonomy. That means explaining rules in a developmentally appropriate way and listening seriously to the adolescent’s point of view.
- Consider your teen’s social and mental health needs: Talk to them about what they get from social media use and when it makes them “feel bad.”
- Develop individualized rules: Based on your teen’s needs, create guidelines and, if necessary, restrictions on how often and in what contexts they can use social media.
Understand the landscape: Stay current on how your teen is using social media and what trends are emerging, and talk to them if the rules need to change.
Most importantly, if your teen has suffered physical or psychological harm, and you believe social media is to blame, a social media addiction lawyer can help you hold the platform accountable. Contact the team of compassionate, qualified experts at the Social Media Victims Law Center today for a free case evaluation.
Our firm exists to hold technology companies accountable for the harm their products have inflicted on children and teens. By prioritizing profit over safety, these companies have contributed to serious mental and physical health crises, leaving families worldwide to bear the consequences. Through litigation, we pursue justice, accountability, and lasting reform.