1、 FOR RELEASE NOVEMBER 28, 2018 BY Monica Anderson and Jingjing Jiang FOR MEDIA OR OTHER INQUIRIES: Monica Anderson, Senior Researcher Aaron Smith, Associate Director, Research Haley Nolan, Communications Assistant 202.419.4372 www.pewresearch.org RECOMMENDED CITATION Pew Research Center, November 20

2、18, “Teens Social Media Habits and Experiences” 1 PEW RESEARCH CENTER www.pewresearch.org About Pew Research Center Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. It does not take policy positions. It condu

3、cts public opinion polling, demographic research, content analysis and other data-driven social science research. The Center studies U.S. politics and policy; journalism and media; internet, science and technology; religion and public life; Hispanic trends; global attitudes and trends; and U.S. soci

4、al and demographic trends. All of the Centers reports are available at www.pewresearch.org. Pew Research Center is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts, its primary funder. Pew Research Center 2018 2 PEW RESEARCH CENTER www.pewresearch.org Amid growing concern over social medias impact and infl

5、uence on todays youth, a new Pew Research Center survey of U.S. teens finds that many young people acknowledge the unique challenges and benefits of growing up in the digital age. Today, social media use is nearly universal among teens.1 While notable shares say they at times feel overwhelmed by the

6、 drama on social media and pressure to construct only positive images of themselves, they simultaneously credit these online platforms with several positive outcomes including strengthening friendships, exposing them to different viewpoints and helping people their age support causes they care about

7、. Roughly eight-in-ten teens ages 13 to 17 (81%) say social media makes them feel more connected to whats going on in their friends lives, while around two-thirds say these platforms make them feel as if they have people who will support them through tough times. And by relatively substantial margin

8、s, teens tend to associate their social media use with positive rather than negative emotions, such as feeling included rather than excluded (71% vs. 25%) or feeling confident rather than insecure (69% vs. 26%). 1 Social media use is nearly ubiquitous among todays teens: 97% of 13- to 17-year-olds u

9、se at least one of seven major online platforms. See Pew Research Centers report “Teens, Social Media fewer think it helps teens find trustworthy information % of U.S. teens who say social media helps people their age a lot or some to do each of the following Note: Respondents who did not give an an

10、swer or gave other responses are not shown. Source: Survey conducted March 7April 10, 2018. “Teens Social Media Habits and Experiences” PEW RESEARCH CENTER 34 30 29 7 35 37 37 30 Interact with people from different backgrounds and experiences Find different points of view Show their support for caus

11、es/issues Find trustworthy information NET 69 67 66 37 A lotSome 10 PEW RESEARCH CENTER www.pewresearch.org younger teens). Meanwhile, teens of all ages are similarly skeptical about social medias role as a source of trustworthy information. Only minorities of teens regularly restrict access to thei

12、r social media posts to prevent parents or other people from seeing the content While some youth play an active role in controlling the content they see in their social media feeds and preventing various figures of authority from viewing what they post there, a large share of teens rarely curate the

13、ir online presence in this way. At a broad level, 46% of teens say they at least sometimes organize their feeds to only see certain types of content, although just 15% say they do this often. Indeed, 29% of teens say they never organize their social feeds in this way. It is even rarer for teens to d

14、elete or restrict access to their posts because they might be seen by their parents or negatively impact them in the future. Just one-third of teens say they often or sometimes delete or restrict access to things they share on social media because they are concerned it could negatively impact them l

15、ater in life. And about three-in-ten teens say they delete or restrict posts because they dont want their parents to view them. In both cases, only around one-in-ten young people say they do this often and a plurality says they never do so. There are also few demographic differences in deleting or r

16、estricting social media posts because it could negatively impact them in the future or because they dont want their parents to see what theyve posted. But there are some age differences when it comes to taking steps to organize social media feeds. Older teens are more likely than their younger peers

17、 to say they regularly organize their feed in this way (51% of 15- to 17-year-olds do this vs. 37% of those ages 13 to 14). Among teens, deleting or restricting their social media posts is relatively uncommon % of U.S. teens who say they ever do the following on social media Note: Respondents who di

18、d not give an answer are not shown. Source: Survey conducted March 7April 10, 2018. “Teens Social Media Habits and Experiences” PEW RESEARCH CENTER 15 9 9 31 23 20 22 26 25 29 37 42 OftenSometimesRarelyNever Organize their feed to only see certain content Delete/restrict access to their posts becaus

19、e it could negatively impact them later Delete/restrict posts because they dont want their parents to see 11 PEW RESEARCH CENTER www.pewresearch.org 2. Teens, friendships and online groups Friendship is a crucial part of adolescence. Teens explore friendships to navigate their identity and their rol

20、e in society. This survey finds that about half of U.S. teens (51%) see themselves as someone who tends to fit in “pretty easily” among their peers, while an almost identical share (48%) says they tend to stand out. But regardless of how they perceive their relationship with others their age, majori

21、ties of teens say they have at least one person they consider to be a close friend and keep in touch with a broader circle of friends regularly both online and offline. Meanwhile, about six-in-ten teens have at least one close friend of a different racial or ethnic background, or who is a different

22、gender from them. Teens also identify online groups and forums as an important part of their social lives, and as spaces where they can meet new people and receive support to cope with tough times. Majorities of teens have a close friend of a different gender or a different race or ethnicity Fully 9

23、8% of teens say they have one or more close friends: 78% say they have between one and five close friends, while 20% have six or more close friends. Just 2% of teens say they do not have anyone they consider a close friend. Similar majorities extend across various demographic groups. However, there

24、is some variation on this question based on household income. Teens from lower-income families (those earning less than $30,000 a year) are significantly more likely than teens in other income groups to report that they do not have any close friends (7% of lower-income teens say this, compared with

25、1% of teens from higher- income households). By the same token, teens from households earning more than $75,000 per year are more than twice as likely as low-income teens to say they have more than five close friends (24% vs. 11%). Teens typically point to their school as an important venue for maki

26、ng friends 87% say they have a close friend from their school. Todays Roughly six-in-ten teens say they have a close friend of a different gender or a different race or ethnicity % of U.S. teens who say they have a close friend who Note: Respondents were allowed to select multiple options. Those who

27、 did not give an answer are not shown. Source: Survey conducted March 7-April 10, 2018. “Teens Social Media Habits and Experiences” PEW RESEARCH CENTER 87% 61 60 46 35 15 3 Is from their school Is of a different gender Is of a different race or ethnicity Is of a different religion Lives far away The

28、y first met online None of these 12 PEW RESEARCH CENTER www.pewresearch.org teens are a part of the most racially and ethnically diverse generation in American history, and this reality is reflected in the fact that six-in-ten teens report having a close friend who is of a different racial or ethnic

29、 background than they are. A similar share of teens (61%) identify someone of a different gender as a close friend, and close to half (46%) say they have a close friend of a different religion. Despite the prominence of school as a venue for friend formation, teens friendships are not confined to sc

30、hool campuses or local neighborhoods. Around one-third (35%) of teens say they have a close friend who lives far away, while 15% say they have a close friend they first met online. In some cases, the nature of teens friendships varies little based on their demographic characteristics. For instance,

31、white, black and Hispanic teens are equally likely to say they have a close friend of a different race or ethnicity. Similarly, comparable shares of boys and girls have a close friend of a different gender. But in other cases, these differences are more prominent. Most notably, white teenagers (52%)

32、 are significantly more likely than blacks (25%) to report that they have a close friend with a different religious background. And mixed-gender friendships are more common among older teens: 67% of teens ages 15 to 17 have a close friend of a different gender, compared with 52% of teens ages 13 to

33、14. Looking specifically at the role of the internet in the formation of close friendships, the likelihood of a teen developing a close friendship with someone they first met online varies by a number of factors. Teens ages 15 to 17 are more likely than those 13 to 14 to say they have a close friend

34、 they first met online (18% vs. 11%). These online-first friendships are also more common among teens whose parent holds a high school diploma or less (24%) than among teens whose parent has a bachelors or advanced degree (9%). And teens who use the internet “almost constantly” are more likely than

35、those who go online several times a day or The likelihood of forming online friendships varies by the educational level of a teens parent % of U.S. teens who say they have a close friend who is someone they first met online Note: Respondents who did not give an answer are not shown. Parents level of

36、 educational attainment based on highest level of education associated with a teens parent. Source: Survey conducted March 7-April 10, 2018. “Teens Social Media Habits and Experiences” PEW RESEARCH CENTER 15 15 16 11 18 24 15 9 U.S. teens Boy Girl 13-14 15-17 HS or less Some college College+ Parents

37、 educational level 13 PEW RESEARCH CENTER www.pewresearch.org less to have formed a close friendship with someone they first met online (23% vs. 9%).2 (For details on other demographic differences, see Appendix.) Teens are more likely to spend time with their friends online on a daily basis than to

38、do so in person This survey explored the way teens interact with their friends apart from school activities or those directly related to school. Sizable majorities of teens spend at least one day per week with their friends online (88%) or in person (77%). But when it comes to daily interactions wit

39、h their friends, teens are much more likely to report that those interactions take place online. Six-in-ten teens say they spend time with their friends online every day or almost every day, compared with 24% who spend time with their friends in person with the same frequency (not including school o

40、r school- related activities). Despite the relative infrequency of their in-person interactions with friends, a majority of teens (57%) say they spend about the right amount of time with their friends face-to-face. But roughly one-third of teens (36%) think they have too little face-to-face time wit

41、h their friends. A small share (just 7%) believe they spend too much time seeing their friends in real life. The largest shares of teens in a variety of demographic groups indicate they spend about the right amount of time with their friends in person. Nonetheless, many teens who see their friends o

42、n a less-than-daily basis express a desire for more time together in person. Just 17% of teens who get together with friends on a daily basis say they spend too little time together but that share rises to 42% among teens who get together with friends less often. 2 45% of U.S. teens say they use the

43、 internet “almost constantly” either on a computer or a cellphone, while 55% use the internet several times a day or less often. Six-in-ten teens spend time with their friends online on a daily or near-daily basis % of U.S teens who say they get together with friends online or in person (outside of

44、school or school-related activities) Note: Respondents who did not give an answer are not shown. Source: Survey conducted March 7-April 10, 2018. “Teens Social Media Habits and Experiences” PEW RESEARCH CENTER 60 24 21 26 19 50 Online In person Every day or almost every day Several times a week Less

45、 often 14 PEW RESEARCH CENTER www.pewresearch.org Some critics have argued that the internet and social media are to blame for teens diminishing real-life interactions with others. But teens themselves point to a variety of reasons for why they do not spend more time with their friends in person. Th

46、e most common of these (cited by 41% of teens) is that teens themselves report they simply have too many other obligations to find time to hang out with friends. Meanwhile, 34% say their friends are too busy with their own obligations to find the time for friend activities, and 32% say the difficult

47、y of finding transportation prevents them from seeing their friends more often. Still, the ease of digital communication ranks among the top reasons given by teens when asked why they do not spend more time with their friends in person 33% of teens note that it is simply easier to connect with a fri

48、end online than to attempt connecting with them physically. Hispanic teens are especially likely to say that several of these factors prevent them from seeing friends in person as much as they would like. While 46% of Hispanic teens say the ease of talking to their friends online or on their phone i

49、s a factor in not seeing their friends more often, just 30% of whites cite the same reason.3 Hispanic teens are also more likely than white teens to cite parental intervention as a barrier to seeing their friends in person (25% vs. 13%). By contrast, white teens are more likely than black teens to say that their friends busy schedules are a major factor preventing them from seeing friends more ofte