Teen Social Media Statistics 2022 (What Students and Parents Need to Know)

What do teens think?

% who say using social media makes them feel:

• Lonely: 3% (More) 25% (Less)
• Depressed: 3% (More) 16% (Less)
• Anxious: 8% (More) 12% (Less)
• Confident: 20% (More) 5% (Less)
• Better about themselves: 18% (More) 4% (Worse)
• Popular: 20% (More) 3% (Less)

(Source: Statista)

% of social media users who say they: ‍

• ‍Sometimes feel left out or excluded when using social media"
• ~70% (low social-emotional well-being)  29% (high social-emotional well-being)
• Have deleted social media posts because they got too few “likes”:
• ~43% (low social-emotional well-being) 13% (high social-emotional well-being)
• Feel bad about themselves if no one comments on or “likes” their posts:
• ~43% (low social-emotional well-being) 11% (high social-emotional well-being)
• Have ever been cyberbullied:
• ~35% (low social-emotional well-being) 5% (high social-emotional well-being)

(Source: Statista)

‍Technology distracts teens from friends and other important things

• 57% of all teens agree that using social media often distracts them when they should be doing homework
• 54% of teen social media users agree that it often distracts them when they should be paying attention to the people they’re with
• 29% of teen smartphone owners say they’ve been woken up by their phones during the night by a call, text, or notification
• 42% of teens agree that social media has taken away from the time they could spend with friends in person

(Source: Common Sense Media)

‍Cyberbullying statistics

• 23.2% of teens have been bullied in the last month, while 4.9% had cyberbullied others in the last month 
• 55% of cyberbullying victims are between the ages of 14 and 15 
• 23.7% of girls and 21.9% of boys between the ages of 13 and 17 report being cyberbullied while 35.4% of transgender teens reported being cyberbullied

(Source: Cyberbullying Research Center)

‍Parents are worried

• 65% of parents surveyed by Pew Researchers said they worry about their kids spending too much time in front of screens
• 73% of parents believe that children should be at least 12 years old before having their own smartphone.  Only 22% think children should be allowed to have their own phone under the age of 12 (Source: Pew Research)
• The majority of parents (68%) believe that the use of social media has a negative impact on their teen’s ability to socialize normally (Source:  Digital Information World)
• 80% of parents have reported that they monitor their children and their social media and smartphone habits and 45% are using an app to restrict/limit their usage (Source: Digital Information World)
• 56% of parents think that they spend too much time on their own smartphone (Source: Pew Research)

1. Students are receiving their first phone around the time they enter the stage of human development where peer engagement is critical

Kathryn Ely, JD, MA, ALC, MA, Attorney & Masters of Arts in Clinical Mental Health

American youth are receiving their first phone right around the time they enter the stage of human development where peer engagement is critical. Teens use social media to explore social comparison, highlight the aspects of themselves they see as positive, and for self-disclosure. 

Teens can use social media to enhance their social development. But teens can also be negatively impacted by their own social media use. Social media use can also lead to cyberbullying, social anxiety, depression, and exposure to content that is not developmentally appropriate.

How can we make sure our children are using social media in a positive way that strengthens their self-esteem and connections with peers, which are so crucial in this stage of development?

2. One in three children have been cyberbullied

Chelsea Brown, Digital Mom Talk 

One in three children are cyberbullied and 70% of children say they have cyberbullied someone online. It's becoming a growing problem with parents and children. However, cyberbullying is not a major concern for many parents since they aren't even sure what is classified as cyberbullying or when cyberbullying crosses legal lines.

Being an active and positive bystander is proven to be very effective to prevent bullying, but teens do not know how to do so online and are more likely to respond when the bullies are persistent. Many students refuse to call cyberbullies out as the tactics intensify, for fear of being included as well.

Studies are also being done to show that cyberbullying is more damaging than normal bullying. This is due to the tactics of cyberbullying being along the lines of psychological warfare for kids. The constant contact, the appearance of multiple targets, and the aspect of most cyberbullying being based on bullying in real life, has many children facing a semi-silent and unconquerable battle.

Sources: Enough.org, Cyberbullying.org, Wiley Online Library, SpringerLink 

3. Only half of parents with students ages 5 to 15 use parental controls

Paul Grattan, Law Enforcement Supervisor

Only half of the parents of kids ages 5-15 use parental controls, other content filters, or blockers. Of those who do not, the number one reason cited is that they trust their kids' online behavior. This is interesting because 9 out of 10 parents who do use them, find they block the right amount of content. (Source: Office of Communications UK research report).

At the same time, I caution this is only a basic first step. While most parents trust their children online, the nature of predatory behavior by bad actors can influence even the savviest and most trustworthy teen.

That's truly the nature of today's online threat - outside influences and actors. Much of the danger of increased connectivity and technology does not lie directly in the hands of our teens and their overt behavior, but rather in their susceptibility to influences and pressure.

4. Half of people ages 14 to 24 have experienced technologically abusive behavior

Alexandra Boscolo, Day One

Today's teens are constantly online, and abusers always find new ways to stalk and harass their targets.

Here are some important statistics from Day One:

• 50% of people ages 14-24 have experienced technologically abusive behavior
• 22% of people ages 14-24 in dating relationships say they feel like their partner checks up on them too often
• A 2013 study found that the most frequent form of harassment or abuse was tampering with a partner’s social networking account without permission. Nearly 1 in 10 teens in relationships report having this happen to them in the past year
• In the same survey, 7% of teens reported that their partner sent them texts/emails/etc. to engage in unwanted sexual acts. And 7% of teens reported being pressured to send a sexual or naked photo of themselves

5. Many Instagram accounts are fake and could pose a threat to students

Johnny Santiago, Social Catfish (tool to verify if people are really who they say they are online) 

According to a study by Italian security researchers, 8% of Instagram accounts are fake. Instagram is one of the most popular social media apps teens use.

This poses a risk and danger to teenagers from online catfishers. People behind the fake accounts can scam teens out of their money or even blackmail them. A catfisher is a person who creates a fake identity on a social network, usually with the intention of deceiving a specific victim. With this in mind, parents and teens alike should learn the signs that the person they're talking to online is a catfisher.

MomTalk with Beth and Andrea