This blog is part of a collaboration with Headstream’s Youth Collective Program, which aims to uplift the voices of creative young leaders and nurture a future generation that can confidently shape a safer and more responsible digital world.
The digital space is a rapidly developing scene, with the good, the bad, and the ugly of cyberspace centered on all facets of social media. Gen Z can attest to being the ‘last’ transitionary generation, raised in a time when technology rapidly adapted to daily life. Young people recall handing in their paper and pencils for computer labs. Now personal laptops and smartphones are ubiquitous. The World Wide Web is what it was always engineered to be — everywhere.
Social media is purposefully made addictive. The algorithms take note of any video that might make you pause, even a second over your average, and that data is collected and analyzed to recommend related posts. Its motive is profit. However, teens are not passive in big tech’s bid for their attention. They leverage this expensive currency into something that uplifts, feeding information back into their circles, working to take back their agency. Data collected from Hopelab’s 2024 National Survey corroborates, “81% of young adults and 68% of teens say they enact strategies to avoid content they dislike”. Most adolescents are knowledgeable in finding loopholes to enact agency over what they consume, from reporting posts, spamming the ‘not interested’ button, or blocking accounts, teens have created smart workarounds to avoid what they don’t want to see.
The double-edged sword of social media
Despite legislation passed in 2022 requiring companies to display short-form terms of service summaries, big tech companies like Meta have taken advantage of their terms and conditions pages, filling them with exploitative policies hidden within legalese. In May 2024, a flood of posts emerged warning Meta users their data was being used to train a new AI model. Opting out of this policy wasn’t easy. Creators on TikTok activated quickly, using the app as a platform to inform, educate, and advocate for data privacy.
This lack of transparency on the part of Big Tech, which collects data and tunes an algorithm, keeps users on the app often serving up harmful content. The 2024 National Survey data shows that “nearly one-quarter (24%) of all youth age 14 to 22 report being on social media almost constantly throughout the day.” Because social media platforms are central to the daily lives of young people, they can often serve as a space for social and emotional support.
Creating the social space young people want and need
Companies need to consider the way that young people create and shape these spaces. Young people often feel pressure to live a dollhouse life on spaces like Instagram or TikTok. Hopelab’s National Survey supports such a claim, reporting “64% of young people with moderate to severe depressive symptoms indicate that when they use social media, they feel as if others’ lives are better than theirs, compared to 38% of those with no symptoms”. Spaces like Tumblr and Pinterest are more positive examples. They’re social media without the instant gratification of likes and constant stimulation. They’re online diaries that, for the most part, limit oversharing and just allow teens to express themselves and find like-minded peers. This is due to conceptualization that puts the teen experience first and centers the person rather than the product.
We must ensure young people’s voices and experiences are front and center as policymakers make decisions about their safety and well-being. Social media serves as a valuable tool for connection, support, and identity affirmation for many young people, especially LGBTQ+ youth. We must harness this potential while mitigating harm and involving young people in the process every step of the way.
About the author:
Kemi is an incoming freshman at the University of South Florida, bringing a unique blend of experience as a former UX and Youth Demographic Expert Intern. With a keen interest in psychology and a dedication to understanding youth communities, Oluwakemi Aderibigbe is passionate about advocating for young people’s experiences and making a meaningful impact through their work.
