social media effects on youth

Social Media and its
Social Media and its effects on youth
Daniel J. Flannery PhD
Dr. Semi J. and Ruth Begun Professor
Director, Begun Center for Violence Prevention Research &
Director, Begun Center for Violence Prevention Research &
Education
Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences
Case Western Reserve University

Types of Social Media utilized by youth
Types of Social Media utilized by youth
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Computers
Texting
Facebook
Youtube
Smart phones with apps ipads Television l ii
Movies
Video games
Tweeting
MySpace
Pinterest

Mobile Media Usage by US Teens Age 13‐17

Use/ Consumption of Social Media
Use/ Consumption of Social Media
• 93% of teens are active users of the internet
93% of teens are active users of the internet
(60‐70% daily)
• 75% of teens own a cellphone
75% of teens own a cellphone
• Teens average over 3000 texts per month
(100/day)
(100/d )
• Text messaging has increased most dramatically, along with media multi‐tasking

Source: www.frankwbaker.com/mediause.htm

Source: Kaiser Generation M2‐Kids/Youth Media Survey
(January 2010)

What Teens do Online
What Teens do Online
• The percentage of U.S. Internet users, ages 12‐17, who do the following online:
• 89% send or read email
• 84% go to websites about movies, TV shows, music groups, or sports
%
b b h
• 81% play online games
• 76% go online to get news or information about current events
76% go online to get news or information about current events
• 75% send or receive instant messages
• 57% go online to get information about college
• 43% buy online merchandise
• 22% look for information about a health topic that’s hard to talk about
Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project (July 2005)

Teen Social‐Networking by the
Numbers
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51% of teens check their sites more than once a day.
51% of teens check their sites more than once a day

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22% of teens check their site more than 10 times a day.

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39% of teens have posted something they later regretted.
39% of teens have posted something they later regretted

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37% of teens have used sites to make fun of other students.

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25% of teens have created a profile with a false identity.
25% f t h t d fil ith f l id tit

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24%of teens have hacked into someone else’s social‐networking account.

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13% of teens have posted nude or seminude pictures or videos of themselves or others, online.
Source: Common Sense Media’s Poll of Social‐Networking
(August 2009)

Exposure to social media
Exposure to social media
• Immediacy
• Volume l • Intensity

HIERARCHICAL REGRESSION ON VIOLENT BEHAVIOR, GRADES 3-8
3EXPLANATORY
VARIABLE

MODEL 1

DEMOGRAPHICS

.1211

PARENTAL
MONITORING
WATCHING VIOLENCE
ON TV
RECENT VIOLENCE
EXPOSURE
PAST VIOLENCE
EXPOSURE

1=ADJUSTED R2
2=INCREMENT IN R2

MODEL 2

MODEL 3

MODEL 4

MODEL 5

.175
175
.0542
.194
.019
.436
.242
.449
.013

Does media matter?
Does media matter?
More immediate, intense and frequent
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Direct effects
Desensitization
Mean world syndrome
Mean world syndrome
Violence and aggression are acceptable

Source: www.frankwbaker.com/mediause.htm

Impact of media types
Impact of media types
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Induced fear and phobias
Induced fear and phobias
Media multi‐tasking affects attention
Reality vs. fantasy li f
Role models
Time use

Impact of high exposure on behavior and mental health b h d lh l h
• Middle schoolers use more media than any
Middle schoolers use more media than any other age group (8 hrs., 40 min per day)
• Lower academic achievement grades
Lower academic achievement, grades
• Lower attachment to school
• Shorter attention spans
• Among youth who report internet harassment gy p victimization and unwanted sexual encounters
(
(sexting), 25% report extreme upset
g),
p p Exposure and violence
Exposure and violence
• Visiting hate and satanic sites are associated
Visiting hate and satanic sites are associated with significantly elevated odds of violent behavior perpetration behavior perpetration
• Exposure to media violence does not affect all children in the same way children in the same way
• Gender
• Aggressive/ CD youth vs non
Aggressive/ CD youth vs. non
• Physical vs. social aggression

Brain studies
Brain studies
• fMRI studies show exposure to TV violence activates brain regions that regulate emotion, arousal and b i i th t l t ti l d attention, and episodic memory
Extensive viewing may lead to a large number of
• Extensive viewing may lead to a large number of aggressive scripts stored in long‐term memory that end up influencing behavior
• Aggressive media viewing= blunting of emotional response and reduced attention with repeated viewing
• Among aggressive youth media violence exposure may
Among aggressive youth, media violence exposure may habituate amygdala responses to violent stimuli (lower emotional impact)

Is exposure to media violence a public health problem? h lh bl • Overall, studies do not provide evidence that
Overall, studies do not provide evidence that media violence exposure leads to aggressive behavior • Average effect sizes are r= .08
• Compared to r= .90 for smoking and lung
Compared to r .90 for smoking and lung cancer; genetics and violence r= .75; self‐ control and criminal behavior r= .58; poverty and crime r= .25; exposure to child physical child abuse r= .25.

Types of Bullying
Types of Bullying
• Direct Bullying: (more typical of boys)
Direct Bullying: (more typical of boys
– Open physical attacks on victim
– Verbal (threats, emotional harm)
(
,
)

• Indirect (Relational) Bullying: (more typical of girls)
– Social isolation
Social isolation
– Peer rejection

• Cyber bullying/ electronic aggression
Cyber bullying/ electronic aggression
– Social network sites, facebook, twitter, email
– Blow down pages→ fake sites created to spread rumors

How common is it?
How common is it?
• Over 30% of middle and HS students identify as victims or perpetrators (some studies up to 50%) i i
• 15‐22% admit cyberbullying others
• About 75% of youth recently witnessed bullying
• From ½ to ¾ youth admit bullying others
From ½ to ¾ youth admit bullying others
• About 1 in 3 youth report they have been a victim of bullying victim of bullying

Cyber bullying y y g
Most recent survey

16% of students reported cyberbullying p y y g
26% reported school bullying past 12 mos
Higher by girls (18%) than boys (12%)
Non‐heterosexual youth more likely to report cyber (33% vs. 14%) and school bullying (42% vs.
25%)
• Depression and attempted suicide (15%) highest for victims of both cyber and school bullying y y g
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From: Schneider et al (2012). Am J of Public Health. MetroWest Adolescent y Health Survey

Cyber bullying
Cyber bullying
• Like face‐to‐face bullying there are victims
Like face to face bullying, there are victims, perpetrators and bully‐victims
• Females more likely both:cyber bully victims
Females more likely both:cyber bully‐victims
• Incidence of cyberbullying increases with age
(vs. face‐to‐face bullying)
( f f b ll i )
• Risk ↑ by computer time and sharing passwords Electronic aggression
Electronic aggression
• Any type of harassment and bullying that
Any type of harassment and bullying that occurs through e‐mail, a chat room, instant messaging, a website (including blogs) or text messaging • Youth can use electronic media to embarrass, harass, or threaten their peers
– 9 to 35% of youth people report being victims of this type of violence

Examples of electronic aggression
Examples of electronic aggression
• Disclosing someone else’s personal information in a public g p p area (e.g. website) in order to cause embarrassment
• Posting rumors or lies about someone in a public area (e.g. discussion board) di i b d)
• Distributing embarrassing pictures of someone by posting them in a public area or sending them via email p g
• Assuming another person’s electronic identity to post or send messages about others with the intent to cause harm
• Sending mean, embarrassing, or threatening text messages, instant messages, or emails
From www.cdc.gov

Electronic aggression
Electronic aggression
• Most youth report little or no involvement in electronic y p aggression • 9 to 35% of youth report they have been a victim of EA
• 4% admit behaving aggressively electronically “monthly or more often” or at least “once in past 2 months”
• Most common: Making rude or nasty comments
Most common: Making rude or nasty comments
Rumor spreading
Threatening or aggressive comments g gg
• Girls perpetrate EA more than boys
• 7 to 14% youth both victims and perpetrators of EA

EA is anonymous
EA is anonymous
• EA allows adolescents to hide their identity
• 22% who admit EA perpetration do not know the
22% who admit EA perpetration do not know the identity of their victim
• When they do know their victim, about half its another student from school
• Most commonly via: instant messaging email text messaging
• EA more likely a series of incidents if perpetrator and
EA more likely a series of incidents if perpetrator and victim know each other www.cdc.gov g

Victims of EA
Victims of EA
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More likely than non‐victims to report using alcohol and other drugs
Receive school suspension or detention
Skip school
Experience in‐person victimization

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More likely to report significant distress if :
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1) harassment was done by someone they know,
2) if repeated by the same person,
3) if harasser 18 years or older, and
4) if the harasser asked for a picture

In extremes, depression, self‐harm and suicide www.cdc.gov Where does EA happen?
Where does EA happen?
The majority of EA is experienced and
• The majority of EA is experienced and perpetrated away from school grounds
• EA is not just an extension of school yard
EA is not just an extension of school‐yard bullying • Wh
What role can or should schools play in the l h ld h l l i h identification, prevention and intervention for
EA?

What do we do about it?
What do we do about it?
• Computer monitoring software not significant
Co pute o to g so t a e ot s g ca t
• Know the internet yourself
Monitor child use and check their sites and
• Monitor child use and check their sites and phones yourself
• Educate youth about use and victimization y • Work directly with schools; know their policies about social media, EA, cyber‐bullying
• Utilize social media for prevention and intervention (e.g. ICAC, facebook, text messages)