The use of social media sites has increased among all ages and groups of people over the last few years and especially among the young generation and the teens, it has become an integral part of their lives. Though social media is a great platform for teenagers to express and communicate with the rest of the world, it comes with its share of threats and dangers.
So, if you too are worried that your teenager spending a lot of time on social media sites and worry about his/her safety, and issues like cyberbullying and others, you have come to the right page. In this write-up, we will discuss what social media do teens use, and how you can keep an eye on your child to prevent them from potential danger.
Table of Contents
Part 1. What Social Media Do Teens Use?
There is no dearth of social media sites and platforms available, but if you want to know what social media do teens use , below we have shortlisted the ones that are popular among teens and majorly used by them.
1 YouTube
When it comes to video sharing, YouTube is the undisputed leader across the globe. Using this platform users can upload, watch as well as share videos in a variety of topics, languages, and genres. As per one of the latest statistics, more than 2.70 billion people access YouTube per month, across the globe. Also, around 25% of the global mobile traffic is accounted for by YouTube. The teens access the huge collection of YouTube videos for educational purposes, entertainment, promotions, and other purposes.
Key Features of YouTube
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It is a free video-sharing site with a huge collection in different categories and genres.
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The platform mediates social functions. The users can interact with one another, put up comments, reply to messages, and more.
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The search engine YouTube allows looking for the desired video by simply entering the title or the category as well.
Content creation and sharing is supported.
The platform allows users to monetize their content using different strategies.
2 TikTok
For sharing short videos on an array of topics, TikTok is a popular platform used by teens and other age group people. A variety of filters, effects, stickers, and background audio allows users to create interesting content.
Key Features of TikTok
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A popular platform for creating 15 seconds to 10 minutes of video.
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Majorly used on mobile platforms but a web app is available as well.
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Popular among teens for creating trending videos and challenges.
Video recording, editing, and uploading is user-friendly.
Live video streaming supported.
3 Instagram
Instagram is popular not only among teens but also adults for sharing videos and images. As per one of the reports, around 52% of the teen American population between 13-17 years use Instagram.
Key Features of Instagram
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Social media sites for sharing videos and images with followers.
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The site has a visually appealing interface that is user-friendly as well.
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The privacy settings of the site are good.
Allows users to be creative and get popular by creating short reels.
The latest trends can be browsed and searched for.
4 Snapchat
Like other social media sites, Snapchat also allows users to share videos, images, and messages with others, but there is an interesting twist here. The messages and other content will disappear after it is being seen by the recipient. Snapchat is quite popular among the teen and young generation for communicating with friends and other people.
Key Features of Snapchat
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A platform for sharing content that disappears after a time.
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Allows sharing videos, images, and messages with chosen friends and people.
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The platform is used by teens to share important and private information.
The platform features a variety of lenses and filters for creatively expressing yourself.
Allows creating planets for maximizing communication with people.
5 Facebook
Though with new sites and platforms emerging, the popularity of Facebook is on the decline, it is still used by a large population of teens across the globe. The familiarity of the platform for long and its easy operation makes it among the top list.
Key Features of Facebook
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User-friendly social media site where profile creation is quick and simple.
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Allows users to search and identify people via their location, age, and other factors.
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Sharing photos without any limitations is one of the key features of the platform.
Facebook Messenger allows to directly communicate with a friend or a person.
Other interesting features of the platform include sharing relationship status, tagging events, social plug-ins, and more.
6 Twitter
When it comes to some serious conversations or important information sharing, Twitter is the most preferred platform among all. With its tweet limit of up to 140 characters, the platform is used by teens who want to keep it short and to the point.
Key Features of Twitter
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The platform is highly popular for users to share important information in short form.
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Linking to other sites, images, blogs, and other content is easy using the platform.
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The hashtag feature of the site allows adding keywords to make the topic search easy.
Excellent platform for following and communicating with people having similar interests and thoughts.
Apt platform for sharing information about events and the latest updates on news and other information
7 Discord
Though designed with a focus on gaming, Discord is now widely and popularly used as a social media site for chatting and organizing.
Key Features of Discord
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Widely used as a general-purpose chatting app with additional features.
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Allows sending messages and also joining voice calls.
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The app can detect your PC games and the same can be displayed as the status on the profile.
Voice and video settings can be done.
Part 2. The Impact of Social Media on Teens
Like every coin has 2 sides, the same holds for social media sites. With the increased access to the web and social media sites, there is a huge impact on teens. There are several pros and cons associated with teens using social media platforms. Some of these can be summarized below.
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Expression of oneself
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Connect and communicate with friends, relatives, and other people
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Openly talking with people about several topics and events through chat forums
Getting updates on the latest news, trends, and other activities locally and on the global stage
Coping with challenges physically and mentally by learning how others deal
Pros
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Unwanted and unnecessary exposure leads to distraction from studies and other school and home activities
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Access to incorrect and biased information
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Online predators and cyberbullying can lead to depression, anxiety, and other mental issues
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Setting unrealistic views about oneself and others
Cons
Bonus. How to Protect Children on Social Media
So now we know what social media do teens use and also what are their benefits. Access to social media sites comes with its share of disadvantages and as parents of a teenager, these cannot be ignored.
One of the best ways to protect your children on social media is by keeping a tab on their activities and monitoring them. For this the best tool we recommend is KidsGuard Pro. This is an excellent parental control app that is compatible with all Android, iOS, Windows, and Mac devices. Using the app, you can monitor all the activities of your child’s phone including social media sites, calls, browsing history, and much more.
![kidsguard pro](https://images.clevguard.com/en/assets/common/store/kidsguardpro_box_store.png)
Why makes KidsGuard Pro outstanding
- All social media sites including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, TikTok, Skype, Tinder, Discord, and others can be monitored.
- Allows viewing all the messages, and media files shared over social media sites.
- Safe, undetectable, and allows monitoring of target device remotely.
- No jailbreak and rooting needed.
How to use KidsGuard Pro for parental control
Step 1. On the Clevguard site, create an account and subscribe to a suitable plan for monitoring the desired device.
Step 2. On the target phone, visit www.clevguard.vip to download the app. Follow the instructions that appear to configure the app.
Step 3. Once the app is successfully installed, move to the dashboard. Under the Social Apps tab, you can check for all the supported social media sites that you can monitor.
Conclusion
So now all clear on what social media do teens use. Preventing your child from using social media sites is not possible and is also not suggested. Going with the time is the need but also as parents, you need to be careful and ensure your child’s safety and security from these sites and the online word.
Tools like KidsGuard Pro come to the rescue as they help you monitor and check all the activities of your child. You can protect your child in anytime and anywhere. Let’s give it a try!