During a recent session at the American Psychological Associations’ annual convention a presentation focused on the impact of social networking on kids and had some interesting results. Not long ago I wrote about some research regarding depression and Facebook among teens. This presentation focused on broader psychological issues such as antisocial behaviors and empathy, along with depression and anxiety.
The presenter, Dr. Larry Rosen, presented his research findings and gave advice to parents. Some of the concerning data he presented in regards to teens who were regular Facebook users was: that teens who use Facebook often showed more narcissistic tendencies, while young adults showed more aggressive and antisocial tendencies; that college students who check Facebook once during 15 minute study periods achieved lower grades; and that daily overuse of technology and media was related to a higher propensity of depression and anxiety.
On the positive side, he reported that young people who spend a lot of time on Facebook were better at showing virtual empathy; that introverted youth learned how to socialize better; and that social networking was shown to be a good teaching tool.
As with all research related to teens and social media, I believe the information must be taken in with an understanding of context. Your own teens’ use of social media should be moderated and understood by you, but you don’t have to forbid them from it just because some research shows potential negatives. What research often misses is what tendencies were in place prior to getting actively involved in social media. Can Facebook use actually cause antisocial behaviors, or are certain antisocial personality traits drawn to social media usage and all you can do with it? That is a hard question to answer, since typically you are comparing non-users to users in research like this, not before and after personality traits.
I point this out because to me knowing your kid should impact how you monitor their social media usage more than research. I have a teen at home, and my approach to her social media usage has always been to join and learn. I am on Facebook and Twitter, I blog, and I keep up on new technology. My daughter gives me her log-ins and passwords if I ask (that or she does not have a computer). It is what works for us, but it is up to each family to determine the best way to monitor their own kids.