- Study looks back at a positive social media use case for teens
- Time spent online with close friends known offline is associated with higher well-being
- Other smartphone use cases are more problematic
In terms of the use of social networks by adolescents, studies follow one another and are very often negative. In fact, public authorities are increasingly committed to regulating large platforms to protect minors from the deleterious consequences of these services: depression, low self-esteem, etc.
But a recently published study by researchers at Cardiff University in Wales provides a little more optimism. By consulting the data of a previous research carried out in 2019, the scientists indeed noted that the time that teenagers spend online chatting with their group of close friends is linked to better well-being.
The positive role of WhatsApp
In contrast, time spent with people they don’t know is correlated with lower well-being. The same goes for all those who send little or no messages on the Internet. Another finding of the researchers: young people have a mastery of the tools that their elders do not necessarily have. This is the case for example of notifications that they know how to modify according to the needs and their desires of the moment.
And precisely, private messaging applications such as WhatsApp, Telegram, or Signal seem particularly suitable for having pleasant conversations with loved ones. We are thinking in particular of groups dedicated to family, friends, or even colleagues.
On the other hand, many teenagers (and this surely goes for adults) may find that discussions on networks like Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, or Snapchat tend to escalate quickly.
This article is therefore an opportunity to recall the social aspect of social networks. But we will of course not forget to mention the many other studies that point to the risks of these services.
To cite just one example, scientists at Sainte-Justine Hospital in Montreal noted in 2019: “What we have seen time and time again is that the effects of social media have been much greater than those of other types of digital screen”.
They were already pointing to social networks such as Instagram sometimes mentioned in depressive disorders in young people. On this platform, they are particularly likely to compare their lives to those of other users who belong or pretend to belong to more privileged social backgrounds, which can be disconcerting and saddening.
