I’ve tweeted about this before but the impact of social media, especially Instagram, on teenagers makes sense from a psychological development point of view.
It’s an app that targets exactly the developmental stage of teens.
It’s an app that targets exactly the developmental stage of teens.
https://twitter.com/CT_Bergstrom/status/1437930680436944898
One of the major developmental goals for teens is identity formation. Teens strive to figure out who they are. Especially as if it relates to their peers. Younger kids are shaped more by their immediate family. Teens start to expand their circle.
That’s normal developmentally.
That’s normal developmentally.
So imagine an app that allows you test out aspects of your identity. It gives you instant, immediate feedback. From your peers but also strangers. In fact, make it quantifiable. There’s no guesswork. Here’s the exact number of likes. And who specifically liked it.
You can see how for someone who’s primary goal is identity formation… that’s precisely what you’d want at that time.
Is this good? How about this? And this?
Instant, immediate, feedback. Again and again.
Is this good? How about this? And this?
Instant, immediate, feedback. Again and again.
This is wildly different than any other time being a teen.
Like when I was a teen, how would I know if someone liked something I said or the clothes I wore? Maybe they say something. Or I have to interpret their reaction to me, skewed by my own perceptual blinders.
Like when I was a teen, how would I know if someone liked something I said or the clothes I wore? Maybe they say something. Or I have to interpret their reaction to me, skewed by my own perceptual blinders.
What are all my friends doing right now? Or wearing? Or saying? Or thinking? Or watching?
🤷🏽♂️
I’d have to phone them to find out. One by one. On a landline. During the day.
That’s a much different method of shaping my identity in relation to my peers.
🤷🏽♂️
I’d have to phone them to find out. One by one. On a landline. During the day.
That’s a much different method of shaping my identity in relation to my peers.
This doesn’t mean social media is inherently all bad for teens.
It IS different though. A wildly different way of shaping our identity in a way we never have before.
And there may be some good from that for some kids.
But there is certainly some negative.
It IS different though. A wildly different way of shaping our identity in a way we never have before.
And there may be some good from that for some kids.
But there is certainly some negative.
Back to the original tweet. Internal Facebooks data suggests the impact of Instagram on some things for teens (like body image) is greater than other social media apps.
Which makes sense.
Let’s take all of the above and apply it to a format entirely about physical appearance.
Which makes sense.
Let’s take all of the above and apply it to a format entirely about physical appearance.
This hole of nonstop comparison, sharing yourself, getting feedback and comparing it literally the best everyone else in the world has to offer.
That’s tough for adults.
Now imagine you’re a teen with an developing sense of identity, trying to figure yourself out.
That’s tough for adults.
Now imagine you’re a teen with an developing sense of identity, trying to figure yourself out.
This too.
When you were a teen, did you wake up and the first thing you saw was a wall of posts on your phone of people telling you to go kill yourself?
Because let me tell you, I’ve heard that story from the teens I treat regularly enough that it doesn’t even phase me.
When you were a teen, did you wake up and the first thing you saw was a wall of posts on your phone of people telling you to go kill yourself?
Because let me tell you, I’ve heard that story from the teens I treat regularly enough that it doesn’t even phase me.
https://twitter.com/dawgbone98/status/1437986158928093192
Look, the point of this thread isn’t that social media is irredeemably bad. Or Instagram.
It’s just a whole new way of shaping your identity and teens are going to be uniquely vulnerable to it because they are literally trying to form their identity and that’s hard normally!
It’s just a whole new way of shaping your identity and teens are going to be uniquely vulnerable to it because they are literally trying to form their identity and that’s hard normally!
And we don’t do a good job of teaching kids how to wade through that.
Learning to log off is a skillset, same as taking a breath and walking away when you’re too mad to say something helpful. Comes easy to some, but not for others.
Learning to log off is a skillset, same as taking a breath and walking away when you’re too mad to say something helpful. Comes easy to some, but not for others.
Learning that what someone posts isn’t the same as what their life is like is a skillset, same as learning what someone says isn’t always what they mean. Or what the say they feel isn’t actually what they feel.
And of course, this stuff is hard to teach if you suck at it yourself.
Hockey Twitter has taught me there’s a LOT of grown-ass men who have basically no emotion regulation skills or ability to manage themselves on social media.
So how are you going to teach your kids?
Hockey Twitter has taught me there’s a LOT of grown-ass men who have basically no emotion regulation skills or ability to manage themselves on social media.
So how are you going to teach your kids?
You also can’t just say ‘no social media ever’. This is how kids communicate now. They’re basically going to hear it as “don’t have friends”.
Plus, that still doesn’t prepare them for adulthood when they WILL have social media & still need these basic skills.
Plus, that still doesn’t prepare them for adulthood when they WILL have social media & still need these basic skills.
I don’t have a nice easy answer to this to sum it all up. I wish I did.
I do think we need more research. Apparently Facebook has the data.
But we need to help teens navigate this social media world.
And we need to teach them when to log off.
Right after we teach ourselves.
I do think we need more research. Apparently Facebook has the data.
But we need to help teens navigate this social media world.
And we need to teach them when to log off.
Right after we teach ourselves.
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