Many young people use social media to keep in touch with friends and family. They exchange content and gain positive attention on social media. Shows the report of the National Institute of Public Health.
The National Institute of Public Health asked 3700 high school students about youth use and experiences with social media and online games. The results are published in the report "The whole world at your fingertips" .
- Students answer that social media is an important social arena for young people, not only entertainment. Social media seems to be the most important thing for girls. On the other hand, when online games are most important to boys, says Jens Christoffer Skogen, researcher at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health.
A greater proportion of girls feel addicted to social media
Overall, girls report that they communicate more often and receive more positive attention on social media than boys. Girls also report being more concerned with how they appear on social media. They experience greater stress, pressure, and expectations from using social media. They also attach more importance to the response they receive on social media. Moreover, a greater percentage of girls than boys declare that they feel dependent on social media.
The results show that far more boys than girls engage in online games. Boys communicate with others more than girls, feel part of a community when they play games, and connect with friends through gambling. A small percentage of people, regardless of gender, see themselves as addicted to online games.
It's easier to be yourself on social media
Some people find it easier to be themselves and talk about difficult things when they are on social media. At the same time, they experience a lot of pressure and expectations with being active on social media and experience that using social media affects other things in life.
The results also show that many people are using proactive strategies to avoid anxiety or maintain privacy on social media. A quarter of young people declare that they want to know more about how social media can influence them.
- Little research has been done into the potential positive aspects of social media and online gaming. Therefore, the aim of our study was to present a broader and more nuanced picture of the role these activities play in the lives of young people, says Skogen.
Big differences between the sexes
A consistent finding is that there are large gender differences in the use of social media by young people, including online games. More girls than boys say they use social media to keep in touch with friends all day long (79% versus 66%).
Girls feel more that they "have to" comment on what their friends publish (56% versus 14%), and that at least sometimes it has negative consequences if they do not (34% versus 15%).
Boys generally play much more than girls
Overall, the survey results show significant gender differences when it comes to online games. Boys generally play much more than girls. The proportion of girls who say they never play is 83 percent, while the corresponding proportion of boys is 19 percent. About a quarter of boys (26 percent) and only two percent of girls play 5-6 days a week or every day.
The survey results indicate that online games are also an important social space for students, where many have developed close friendships, communicate with each other and experience being part of the community.
Ask the children how it was on social media today and what they experienced there
- Although in this report we highlight some important differences between the sexes. This doesn't mean that all girls or all boys use and experience social media in the same way, says Skogen.
Standards and policies for using social media vary by school, class, and group of friends, which can have an impact on their use and experience of social media.
– Parents may feel more involved in social life children and adolescents in social media and online games. Especially since these are important social arenas for them. Ask your children what it was like on social media today and what they experienced there. Talk to your children about this from the first moment they gain access to social media and online games. If you start early, it's easier to develop good communication habits around it, Skogen says.
About the survey
Two rounds of the Livet på SoMe study were conducted with Bergen high school students in 2020 and 2021. The total number of participants in the study was 3725. The average age of the participants was 17 years.
Reference
Hjetland GJ, Finserås TR and Skogen JC. " The whole world is at hand - young people's use and experiences with social media and online games ". [Worldwide, one key press - use and experiences of teens with social media and online games] Report 2022. Bergen: Folkehelseinstituttet, 2022.
Source: National Institute of Public Health
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