Pew Research Center completed a new research on teens and social media and technology. The research had the following findings:

1. 92% of teens report going online daily.

2. 24% say they go online “almost constantly.”3. 56% of teens go online several times a day.

4. 12% report once-a-day use.

5. 6% of teens report going online weekly.

6. 2% go online less often.

Regarding the social media platforms, the research indicated that:

1. Facebook is the most popular and frequently used social media platform among teens (71% of all teens use the site).

2. Half of teens use Instagram.

3. Nearly 40% of teens use Snapchat.

4. 71% of teens report using more than one social network site.

5. Among the 22% of teens who only use one site, 66% use Facebook, 13% use Google+, 13% use Instagram and 3% use Snapchat.

The research also concluded a correlation between teens’ socioeconomic background and the preferred social media platform. Here are the findings:

1. Teens from less well-off households prefer Facebook.

2. Middle and upper income teens lean toward Instagram and Snapchat.

3. Twitter shows a similar pattern by income, with the wealthiest teens using Twitter more than their least well-to-do teens.

From the above findings, it is clear that technology and social media have become an integral part of teenagers’ lives today. This trend will likely continue. Marketers are capitalizing on this to increase their companies’ sales and profits. Unfortunately, criminals are also using social media to look for victims, especially vulnerable teenagers. Therefore, as teenagers are more and more inclined to using social media, it is even more important to learn the safety rules of social media.


<Danielle Gin, San Marino High school 11th Grade>