Current theme
Life online
The last ten years have seen a revolution in young people’s relationship with technology thanks to the meteoric rise of smartphone. Tablet use is dropping, while gaming has become more popular as a way to socialise online. Young people are spending an hour more each day chatting to friends online than they did a decade ago. So it’s no surprise that they say social media (mostly) helps them feel close to their friends. They also report feeling some pressure to be popular on these sites and have increasingly had negative experiences online or seen content that causes discomfort.
1. The rise of the smartphone
2. Time spent 'chatting' with friends online has increased
3. Social media is now as much about trends and lifestyle, as connecting with friends
4. Social media is still a valuable form of connection between friends
5. Young people are now much more likely to socialise with existing friends when gaming
6. Young people feel less frequent pressure to be popular on social media
7. As time online increases, so does young people’s reporting of negative experiences
8. Cyber-bullying is increasing, especially on messaging and social media apps