How teenagers navigate the nuances of social media – and what adults can learn from them

By Linda Kaye, Edge Hill University

For older generations, social media might feel like a specific and often new way of interacting – markedly different from meeting in person or talking on the phone. For most teenagers, though, it is part of an interconnected social landscape. They may not necessarily need to distinguish social connections as either online or offline. These can be fluid across digital and physical spaces.

But there are nuances to interacting on social media – and teens are often acutely aware of them. Social media accounts are often characterised by what is known as context collapse. This means that there are multiple different types of audience in a single context. A post on Instagram or TikTok might be viewed by friends and other teenagers, but also teachers, parents or family members.

Understanding audiences

When posting online, teens will be negotiating these audiences, perhaps aiming a post at their friends, but making sure the content is still appropriate for other types of audience.

This, in some cases, might explain why teenagers (like many others) may be drawn towards more protected or private channels. These include Snapchat group chats, WhatsApp groups or close friends lists on Instagram.

Parents might think their teen is being secretive by using closed channels like this. But the social connections which can occur here are likely to be the most authentic and valuable in terms of building connections with friends. These smaller or more self-contained types of social connections may also encourage more active types of social media use, such as voice messages, replying to threads and video calls.

Psychological evidence suggests that more active types of social media behaviour are related to greater perceptions of social belonging, when compared to more passive types of social media engagement, such as simply scrolling through a feed. These active kinds of social media use could support teens’ expression of their identity, and therefore, feelings of social support and belonging.

Social media can also present teens with opportunities for experimentation and discovery.

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