Teenagers gradually adapt to social media behavior
Teenagers are deliberately posting content online that endangers their future, says a new study from the University of Plymouth .
“The constant 'being in touch' can become compulsive,”
said Sabine Eder from “Blickwechsel”, association for media and cultural education , to pressetext.
“It is necessary to talk to young people about their own usage behavior, about digital living environments and their effects on our coexistence.”
Raising awareness is important
In order to teach young adults media skills, you have to take them seriously, emphasizes Eder.
“We need to recognize how important digital media is for young people. Today, much of our social life takes place in digital spaces. Therefore, young people need to be informed about digital rights and responsibilities – in particular how they can appropriately handle other people’s sensitive data.”
In her work with young people, Eder also notices great progress:
“I see that many young people now behave differently. They see through the danger and react to it. Some post more cautiously, others use different profiles and names.”
The researchers are more pessimistic:
“The results show that reflective young people are just as likely to post risky content as the young people recorded as more impulsive in the study,”
explains study director Claire White.
Other surveys have already shown a connection between impulsive behavior and increased willingness to take risks. But White points out that reflective youth take equally big risks. According to White, the reason for this could be that young people perceive such behavior as right.
Impulsivity measured
For the survey, the scientists measured the level of impulsivity and self-control in young adults.
The researchers also created a scale for the level of risk exposure. Information such as inappropriate images or text was used. The researchers see content related to drug and alcohol consumption, personal information or suggestive data as threatening the future.
Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )