advantages of social media in education essay

Home | About Us Contact Us | Privacy Policy

Advantages and Disadvantages of Social Media in Education

Social media has become an integral part of our daily lives, and its impact on education is undeniable. While there are many advantages to using social media in education, there are also some disadvantages that need to be considered.

In this article, we will explore the pros and cons of social media in education. We will examine how social media can be used as a powerful teaching tool, how it can increase connectivity among students, and how it can provide current information and updates to students.

On the other hand, we will also discuss how social media can be a major distraction in the classroom, how it can open the doors for cyberbullying, and how it can be used improperly in the classroom.

By the end of this article, you will have a better understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of social media in education and how it can be used effectively to enhance learning.

Advantages of Social Media in Education

Social media has become an integral part of our daily lives, and its impact on education has been significant. The use of social media in education has been gaining popularity in recent years, and many educators are exploring its potential benefits.

Social media platforms provide a smoother and more direct communication tool between students, teachers, and parents, allowing them to check in, ask questions, and respond to each other.

In addition, social media fosters collaboration among students, allowing them to work together to achieve common goals. The use of social media in education has also been shown to improve academic performance.

We will explore the advantages of social media in education and how it can be used to enhance the learning process.

1. Improved Accessibility to Educational Resources

Improved Accessibility to Educational Resources is a significant advantage of using social media in education. With the integration of social media platforms in the classroom, students have easier access to a wide range of educational resources.

Social media allows teachers to share relevant articles, videos, and other learning materials with their students, making it convenient for students to access these resources at any time and from anywhere.

Additionally, social media platforms provide a space for students to collaborate and share their own educational content, allowing for a more interactive and engaging learning experience.

This improved accessibility to educational resources not only enhances students’ learning but also empowers them to take control of their own education.

2. Enhanced Communication and Collaboration

Enhanced Communication and Collaboration is another significant advantage of incorporating social media in education. Social media platforms provide a seamless and direct communication channel between students, teachers, and parents, allowing for easy interaction and the exchange of information.

This improved communication fosters a sense of community and connectivity within the educational environment, enabling students to seek clarification, ask questions, and receive timely feedback from their teachers.

Additionally, social media facilitates collaboration among students, allowing them to work together on projects, share ideas, and provide peer support.

This collaborative learning approach not only enhances students’ understanding of the subject matter but also promotes critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

The enhanced communication and collaboration facilitated by social media in education create a more engaging and interactive learning experience for students.

3. Personalized Learning and Tailored Content

Social media platforms offer the opportunity for personalized learning experiences, allowing students to tailor their educational content to their individual needs and preferences.

With the ability to create and curate their own content, students can engage with the material at their own pace and in a way that resonates with them. This customization fosters a sense of ownership and empowerment in their learning journey.

Additionally, social media platforms provide access to a vast array of educational resources, allowing students to explore diverse perspectives and interests beyond the traditional classroom setting.

This personalized approach to learning not only enhances student engagement and motivation but also promotes critical thinking and creativity.

By leveraging social media for tailored content, educators can cater to the unique learning styles and interests of their students, creating a more effective and enriching educational experience.

4. Increased Student Engagement and Motivation

Numerous studies have highlighted the positive impact of social media on student engagement and motivation. By integrating social media platforms into the learning environment, educators can create a more interactive and dynamic experience for students.

Social media provides a space for students to actively participate in discussions, collaborate with peers, and share their ideas and insights.

This level of engagement fosters a sense of ownership and enthusiasm for learning, as students feel more connected and invested in the educational process.

Moreover, social media platforms offer various multimedia tools, such as videos, images, and interactive content, which can capture students’ attention and enhance their motivation to learn.

The use of social media in education has shown promising results in increasing student engagement and motivation, ultimately leading to improved academic outcomes.

5. Global Learning Opportunities and Cultural Exchange

Social media has been found to increase student engagement and motivation, which is a crucial advantage of incorporating social media in education.

Social media platforms provide a space for students to actively participate in discussions, collaborate with peers, and share their ideas and insights.

By leveraging social media for increased student engagement and motivation, educators can create a more dynamic and interactive learning experience for students, leading to improved academic outcomes.

6. Real-World Application and Career Preparation

Social media platforms provide students with opportunities to engage with real-world applications of their learning and prepare for their future careers.

By connecting students with resources from experts around the world, social media allows them to gain insights and perspectives beyond the classroom.

It also facilitates communication and collaboration between classmates, enabling them to work on projects and share ideas in a more interactive and dynamic manner.

Additionally, social media platforms can serve as a platform for students to showcase their work, build a professional online presence, and network with professionals in their field of interest.

This exposure to real-world scenarios and career-related opportunities through social media enhances students’ understanding of the practical applications of their education and equips them with valuable skills for their future endeavors.

7. Rapid Dissemination of Information and Updates

Social media platforms provide a fast and efficient way to disseminate information and updates to students.

Educators can use social media to share announcements, reminders, and other important information with their students in real time, ensuring that students are always up-to-date with the latest news and events.

Additionally, social media platforms provide a space for students to ask questions and receive timely feedback from their teachers, further enhancing the learning experience.

Social media can also be used to disseminate research findings and other educational resources to a wider audience, promoting knowledge sharing and collaboration.

The rapid dissemination of information and updates facilitated by social media in education creates a more efficient and effective learning environment for students and educators alike.

Disadvantages of Social Media in Education

Social media has become an integral part of our daily lives, and its influence is felt in almost every aspect of our lives, including education.

While social media has its advantages, it also has its disadvantages when used in the classroom. We will explore the disadvantages of social media in education.

1. Distraction and Reduced Focus on Learning

Distraction and Reduced Focus on Learning are some of the main disadvantages of social media for students in education.

Social media platforms are designed to be engaging and keep users coming back for more, which can lead to students frequently checking their social media accounts instead of focusing on their academic tasks.

This constant distraction can interfere with their ability to concentrate and complete their assignments, resulting in reduced productivity. Moreover, the excessive use of social media can break students’ motivation and concentration in their studies.

Instead of dedicating their time and energy to learning, students may become dependent on social media and prioritize it over their educational goals. This can lead to a decline in academic performance and a loss of creativity.

Additionally, social media provides easy access to information, reducing students’ searching capability and reliance on traditional sources like books.

Social media can be a significant distraction and hinder students’ focus on learning, impacting their academic progress.

2. Privacy and Security Risks for Students

Social media can pose privacy and security risks for students, as they may be more likely to share personal information or sensitive material online.

This can include things like their full name, address, phone number, or location, as well as photos, videos, or other personal content.

To minimize the risks of a loss of privacy or compromise of personal safety and security on social media, students should be careful about what they share online and consider the potential consequences of their actions.

They should also be aware of their privacy settings on social media and ensure that they are set to the highest level of protection.

Teachers using social media to connect with students can also raise privacy concerns, as children younger than 13 are prohibited from signing up for many social media platforms due to data collection laws.

Parents are also concerned about the digital safety of students, with many reporting concerns about the privacy and security of data collected by schools.

3. Spread of Misinformation and Fake News

The spread of misinformation and fake news is a major disadvantage of social media in education. False information diffuses faster and farther than true information, particularly in the context of social media.

The use of digital platforms to share things that are believed to be true when they may not be can have a powerful ripple effect, influencing others to see them as facts.

Exposure to misinformation can reduce trust in the media more broadly, making it tougher to know what fact or fiction in the future is. The prevalence of social media in spreading disinformation has recently taken precedence in the discussion of the effects of social media.

The spread of disinformation could incite political violence, sabotage elections, and unsettle diplomatic relations, leading to the deterioration of conflicts.

Therefore, it is important to educate students on media and information literacy as part of the curriculum to combat the spread of misinformation and fake news.

4. Cyberbullying and Negative Peer Interaction

The use of social media in education has several disadvantages, including the risk of cyberbullying and negative peer interaction.

Cyberbullying is defined as any behavior performed through electronic or digital media by individuals or groups that repeatedly communicate hostile or aggressive messages intended to inflict harm or discomfort on others.

Compared to traditional bullying, cyberbullying may be even more dangerous as victims can be reached anytime and in any place, and anonymity amplifies aggression as the perpetrator feels out of reach.

Victims of cyberbullying exhibit increased depressive symptoms, anxiety, internalizing behaviors, externalizing behaviors, and greater academic distractions.

Cyberbullying has been associated with higher risks of depression, paranoia, anxiety, and suicide than the traditional form of bullying.

Therefore, students using social media are at risk of being cyberbullied, which can lead to negative mental health outcomes.

5. Erosion of Face-to-Face Communication Skills

The erosion of face-to-face communication skills is a significant disadvantage of social media in education. Excessive use of social media has been found to decrease social face-to-face interaction, which can have a negative impact on social well-being.

Frequent virtual interactions through social media lack emotion, and individuals who heavily use social media may miss social cues when interacting with others in person. This can hinder their ability to navigate real-life interpersonal communication.

Additionally, the presence of cell phones and social media during social interactions can decrease the quality of conversations and the empathic connection between individuals.

It is important for students to develop the skill of having conversations with individuals in person, despite the prevalent use of modern technology.

By relying too heavily on social media for communication, students may not fully develop their face-to-face communication skills, which are essential for building strong relationships and effectively navigating real-world interactions.

6. Dependence on Technology and Digital Addiction

Dependence on technology and digital addiction are significant concerns when it comes to the use of social media in education. With the increasing use of social media platforms, students are becoming more reliant on technology for their academic work.

This dependence can lead to digital addiction, which can have negative effects on student’s mental health and academic performance. Students may become distracted by social media notifications, leading to a lack of focus and reduced productivity.

Additionally, students may become overly reliant on social media for information, leading to a lack of critical thinking skills and research abilities.

Therefore, it is important for educators to be aware of these issues and to encourage the responsible use of social media in education.

7. Questionable Credibility of Online Sources

While social media provides access to a vast array of educational resources, it also poses a challenge in terms of the credibility of online sources.

With the abundance of information available online, it can be difficult for students to distinguish between credible and unreliable sources.

This can lead to students using inaccurate or outdated information in their assignments, which can negatively impact their academic performance.

Moreover, social media platforms are often rife with misinformation and fake news, which can further complicate the issue of source credibility.

Educators must teach students how to evaluate sources critically and discern the reliability of online information.

By doing so, students can develop the skills necessary to navigate the vast amount of information available online and make informed decisions about the credibility of online sources.

Conclusion on Advantages and Disadvantages of Social Media in Education

In conclusion, social media has both advantages and disadvantages in education. On the positive side, social media has enabled learning, sharing, and collaboration among students.

It has also become an invaluable tool for promoting and selling goods and products, as well as for delivering training to students with the help of the latest methodologies. However, social media can also be a distraction from learning if not used properly.

Students need to be taught how to learn from strangers if social media is to be integral to education.

Moreover, many social media platforms have shortcomings that weaken their appeal for formal professional development, particularly in the ability to create contextualized hands-on learning opportunities.

Therefore, schools, colleges, and universities should encourage the use of technology for education and make sure that social media is used in a way that enhances learning rather than detracts from it.

Relevant Resources:

• Advantages and Disadvantages of Social Media in Business
• Advantages and Disadvantages of Social Media Advertising
• Advantages and Disadvantages of Social Media in Healthcare
• Advantages and Disadvantages of Social Media in Tourism industry

Ahmad Ali (Author)

Ahmad Ali has been a technology enthusiast and writer for the past 5 years having vast knowledge of technology.

Rehmat Ullah (Content Reviewer)

Rehmat Ullah is a software engineer and CEO of Softhat IT Solutions. He is an expert technologist, entrepreneur, and educationist.

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Impact of Social Media in Education

Introduction.

The 21st century brought the advent of social media which has drastically changed people’s lives. Social media is software, networking instruments, and Internet platforms that are used for a variety of uses such as content sharing and creation, communication, and collaboration. According to Fuchs (2017), social media are internet-based applications that are developed on the technological capabilities of creation and sharing of user-generated content, going beyond interpersonal communication with the aid of universally accessible and scalable interconnection techniques.

By the current year of 2020, the concept is significantly widespread due and virtually everyone in developed countries with access to smartphones and computers utilizing one of the major social media platforms. These have grown on the basis of popularity in younger populations in particular, with children as young as 13 years old able to create social media accounts. Naturally, social media tools became utilized in educational environments in order to facilitate teaching and learning processes due to their engagement and popularity amongst high-school and college-aged students. Social media has positively impacted education by enabling learning, sharing, and collaboration, but continues to maintain concerns from a large body of students, parents, and educators as being distracting and ineffective in the instructional process.

Upon researching the general concept of social media, it became evident that the primary user base remains in the teenage and young adult category, which utilizes the largest array of platforms (Perrin & Anderson 2019). The origins of social media platforms, particularly the universally popular Facebook stem from college students which poses a critical question of the impact of social media on education. This research question although rather broad is specific enough to explore the context. A search of the literature on the UNISA library catalog and Google Scholar found an overwhelming amount of literature, including original research, synthesis, and theory that explores the various impacts of social media in education.

In particular, I wanted to focus on two concepts: 1) the effectiveness of social media tools for educational purposes; 2) the perception of social media use by students and instructors. Despite narrowing down the topic with these keywords, this research has grown to be so influential in recent years that both searches drew tens of thousands of results, even with limiting the search year of past 2016. The literature was selected based on the relevance of headlines and research direction in the abstract as well as the reliability and prestige of the journal. Some articles had internal citations to books or other articles which fit the search criteria, these were explored as well. Overall, approximately 25 literature sources were selected and narrowed down as the report was written based on their usability for the general topic.

Indicators of quality

All literature used in this report was published originally post-2015. The information has not been updated as the majority of these are journal publications. The context of the data may have changed slightly due to the online learning element during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The sources are targeted at an audience who are interested in or active participating stakeholders in the educational sector. The information extensively covers all potential points of interest regarding the topic allowing for a comprehensive overview of the impact of social media on education.

The research selected was conducted by respectable authors and published in key journals in the industry. The articles are cited numerous times in other literature.

All sources come from peer-reviewed journals or publications which significantly increases their accuracy and validity. The sources were checked for reputation and any questionable sources were not utilized

The purpose of the existence of this research is the soaring popularity of social media platform use, adapting it to educational contexts. The controversial nature of social media as both a tool and a distraction has prompted researchers and stakeholders to consider whether it is warranted for further support and integration.

The widespread popularity and adoption of social media have led to calls of leveraging and integrating it in education through various means. Social media holds a unique opportunity for innovating educational research and scholarly communication as well. Integrating social media has multiple uses in the education sector. Students’ learning can be enhanced through active engagement and digital collaboration on a new level. Both teachers and students can also engage in informal learning which includes exchanging resources and community-building activities (Greenhow et al 2019). Social media has a place in the modern educational paradigm with the potential of bridging and informal learning through participatory digital cultures. Social media becomes inherently a space for learning, which when applied through the lens of social constructivism and connectivism can facilitate the powerful features of instant connectivity and engagement in multimodal learning contexts (Greenhow & Lewin 2015).

A study by Price et al (2018) sought to investigate student perceptions on social media integration within course content. The general perception is positive, with social media use for education growing when officially integrated into the program and learning activities. Students found it to be engaging and informative in identifying important elements within the course. However, a part of the sample remains wary of using social media for professional or educational purposes, indicating that individual factors are critical to consider as well. Orlanda-Ventayen and Magno-Ventayen (2017) found that the instructor’s perspective contributes to social learning and is on par with worlds trends. However, there are disadvantages and individual preferences which suggest that social media should be combined with other free learning management systems.

A number of studies found that platforms have no practical use in instructional and learning contexts. Lahti et al (2017) surveyed students to determine the uses of social media in educational contexts and found that the majority of students do not report utilizing the platforms for studying or academic needs. Manca & Ranieri (2016) similarly found that social media utilization is consistently limited or restricted, with neither teachers nor students readily willing to integrate the social media components into educational practices. Common opposition to social media use in education cites pedagogical challenges, institutional constraints, and the general inappropriateness for the learning context. Most often, students utilize social networks for engagement in non-educational activities such as social communication and entertainment rather than learning or skill enhancement (Talaue et al. 2018). Social media use during class creates opportunities for distraction from the learning process with a negative effect to complete tasks and improving academic performance (Flanigan & Boychuk 2015).

Students also perceive social media as a distraction in many contexts. The social media platforms such as Facebook, create opportunities to shift focus via chatting, uploading photos, and other social activities. McCarthy and McCarthy (2014) conducted a study analyzing the distraction factor of working on Facebook. Students found social media to be largely unhelpful and distracting in the studying process, actually taking more effort to concentrate. Other students in a study by Wise et al (2011) concluded that the negative impact on attention was significant while also being a threat to privacy. In the contexts of blended learning in which social media is commonly utilized, findings by Erdem and Kibar (2014) indicate that platforms such as Facebook may be appropriate for communication and interactive aspects, but not useful in sharing homework or projects or promoting academic achievement.

When considering the impact of social media on education, there are three primary questions that become relevant.

Does social media have a role and fit into the modern educational paradigm?

According to Greenhow et al (2019) social media serves as a bridge between formal and informal learning. It presents vital opportunities for active learning, engagement, collaboration, and community connection enhancement. In the modern paradigm, social media creates a digital space that can thrive and envelop the complexities of multimodal or digital setting learning. However, scholars suggest that students inherently adopt the role of consumers rather than full participants (Greenhow & Lewin 2015).

Does social media present a benefit to students and instructors who utilize it for education?

Social media generally benefits students greatly in the development of their learning, thinking, and social skills. There are other benefits such as ease of sharing and dispersing information. Social networking tools are vital to connecting learning groups and improving learning methods. Social and academic integration sees greater success among students with social media utilization (Price et al 2018).

What are the perceptions from stakeholders regarding social media use in education?

There are varying and mixed perspectives from students and instructors regarding the integration of social media use in education. Some see it as a modern method of supplemental learning and highly enjoy the connectivity, especially if social media tools are officially integrated into a course (Orlanda-Ventayen & Magno-Ventayen 2017). However, there are a number of negative perceptions, viewing social media as a cause for distraction in the learning context due to other non-education social features. A significant portion dislikes the concept due to personal preferences or aspects such as limited availability, tools, and forced implementation which does not enhance the learning process in any significant manner (Flanigan & Boychuk 2015; Manca & Ranieri 2016; Lahti et al 2017).

It is evident that social media use in education maintains a controversial nature. However, with widespread adoption, it has garnered positive responses due to the general engagement of students with technology systems and the various interactive features such as customization and sharing of content. It also maintains the added benefit of teaching students safe and responsible use of information technology. Networking is the essential foundation to professional lives, and many views the positive reinforcements and use of it in education can be relevant to the 21st-century education paradigm.

Recommendations

Based on the research it is evident that social media has permeated the educational sector. However, the mixed results indicate that it is not a universally beneficial tool. There are listed benefits of information sharing, direct access to communication, and general support, which should be promoted (Greenhow & Lewin 2015; Greenhow et al 2019). However, there is a range of negative effects of social media in education including distraction, poor integration, and negative effects on academic performance (Flanigan & Boychuk 2015; Manca & Ranieri 2016; Lahti et al 2017; Talaue et al 2018).

Based on this research, the following recommendations are made:

• Social media should not be outright rejected by educational institutions but promoted as a supplemental tool to enhance the learning process for those who may benefit from it.
• Social media should NOT be commonly utilized during direct instructional and classroom time due to the possibilities of distraction.
• Social media SHOULD be integrated as a method of communication and empowerment for students, teachers, parents, and school communication. The technical possibilities of social media platforms can be an effective manner of building an online community for the institution.
• Social media is a highly viable tool for communication and exchange of information alongside traditional methods. This is particularly viable to reach students or share urgent information that may not be viewed via traditional communication such as email.

Social media has become a dominant force in society, permeating the lives of young people especially. There has been a significant inquiry into the impact of social media in education and its general place in the learning context. Results found that social media is able to be integrated into the educational paradigm as a bridge between formal and informal learning. The critical piece of information uncovered indicates that social media has been greatly integrated into a variety of educational contexts with positive results, but there are some mixed perceptions. The implications of the data presented in this report suggest that educators can implement pathways to the integration of social media in mixed-method modalities to the benefit of students. However, it should not be relied upon as a major or even mandatory tool, but rather as supplemental due to the potential for distraction and negative perceptions/individual preferences of students who may not benefit from it.

Erdem, M & Kibar, PN 2014, ‘ Students’ opinions on Facebook supported blended learning environment ’, The Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology , vol. 13, no. 1, pp. 199-206. Web.

Fuchs, C 2017, Social media: a critical introduction: 2nd edition , Sage, London.

Flanigan, AE & Babchuk, WA 2015, ‘Social media as academic quicksand: A phenomenological study of student experiences in and out of the classroom’, Learning and Individual Differences , vol. 44, pp. 40–45.

Greenhow, C & Lewin C 2015, ‘Social media and education: reconceptualizing the boundaries of formal and informal learning’, Learning Media and Technology , pp. 1–25.

Greenhow, C, Galvin, SM & Willet, KBS 2019, ‘what should be the role of social media in education?’, Policy Insights from Behavioral and Brain Sciences , vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 178-185.

Lahti, M, Haapaniemi-Kahala, H & Salminen, L 2017, ‘Use of social media by nurse educator students: an exploratory survey’, The Open Nursing Journal , vol. 11, pp. 26-33.

Manca, S & Ranieri M 2016, ‘Facebook and the others. Potentials and obstacles of social media for teaching in higher education’, Computers and Education , vol. 95, pp. 216–230.

McCarthy, R & McCarthy M 2014, ‘Student perception of social media as a course tool’, Information Systems Education Journal , vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 13-26.

Orlanda-Ventayen, CC & Magno-Ventayen RJ 2017, ‘ Role of social media in education: a teachers’ perspective ’, ASEAN Journal of Open and Distance Learning , vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 1-7. Web.

Perrin, A & Anderson M 2019, Share of U.S. adults using social media, including Facebook, is mostly unchanged since 2018 , Pew Research Center, Web.

Price, AM et al 2018, ‘First year nursing students use of social media within education: Results of a survey’, Nurse Education Today , vol. 61, pp. 70–76.

Talaue, GM, AlSaad, A, AlRushaidan, N, AlHugail, A, & AlFahhad, S 2018, ‘The impact of social media on academic performance of selected college students’, International Journal of Advanced Information Technology (IJAIT) , vol. 8, no. 4/5, pp. 27-35. Web.

Wise, L, Skues, J & Williams, B 2011, Facebook in higher education promotes social but not academic engagement . , Ascilite. Web.

Cite this paper

• Chicago (N-B)
• Chicago (A-D)

StudyCorgi. (2022, February 4). Impact of Social Media in Education. https://studycorgi.com/impact-of-social-media-in-education/

"Impact of Social Media in Education." StudyCorgi , 4 Feb. 2022, studycorgi.com/impact-of-social-media-in-education/.

StudyCorgi . (2022) 'Impact of Social Media in Education'. 4 February.

1. StudyCorgi . "Impact of Social Media in Education." February 4, 2022. https://studycorgi.com/impact-of-social-media-in-education/.

Bibliography

StudyCorgi . "Impact of Social Media in Education." February 4, 2022. https://studycorgi.com/impact-of-social-media-in-education/.

StudyCorgi . 2022. "Impact of Social Media in Education." February 4, 2022. https://studycorgi.com/impact-of-social-media-in-education/.

This paper, “Impact of Social Media in Education”, was written and voluntary submitted to our free essay database by a straight-A student. Please ensure you properly reference the paper if you're using it to write your assignment.

Before publication, the StudyCorgi editorial team proofread and checked the paper to make sure it meets the highest standards in terms of grammar, punctuation, style, fact accuracy, copyright issues, and inclusive language. Last updated: September 28, 2023 .

If you are the author of this paper and no longer wish to have it published on StudyCorgi, request the removal . Please use the “ Donate your paper ” form to submit an essay.

How Social Media is Reshaping Today’s Education System

by Lori Wade

There’s no denying that, ever since social networks and social media made way into our lives, everything is different. Beginning with the way we socialize, interact, plan for parties or even how often we go out. We won’t go into a debate regarding the ethical aspects of the way Social Media is influencing our lives. Instead, this article proposes to focus on the numerous ways in which social media is changing the way the education system works. So, stay tuned to find out what effects does social networking have on the way our children are educated both at school and outside of it.

Empowering Effects Starting from elementary school up until university graduation, social media has the role to empower parents, students and teachers to use new ways of sharing information and build a community. Statistics show that 96% of the students that have internet access are using at least one social network . What’s even more extraordinary is that, even though some of the students use the social networks for entertaining and other purposes, there are a lot of them that actually use it to promote a lot of positive and useful activities. From finding a summer internship, promoting a success story about how to win the student-loan battle or collaborate on international projects, everything is made possible.

Implementation in Schools? When it comes to social media, schools tend to adopt different positions. It’s a general consensus that they’re useful when it comes to sharing information or organizing the school tasks. And at the same time, the social networking is blamed for the lack of attention in students during classes.

But an increasing trend of adopting social media in school is starting to show. And since students already devote a lot of time for social media and connecting with others outside school hours, why not do it during school as well?

It’s a matter of practicability, really, because it makes perfect sense to use the online universe to communicate with your students since they’re already there most of the time. There’s no need for another case study about the usage of social media in schools. You simply need to walk through the hallways of any school or colleague to see kids of all ages totally immersed in their smartphones. Browsing their news feed, sharing photos on Instagram of sending Snapchat messages has become a part of their daily routine.

How Can Teachers Penetrate the Online World? Moodle and Blackboard are just two examples of learning management system that involves online learning for more than 10 years now. Slowly but steady, such systems will lead to the actual implementation of social media within classrooms. And the best tool available for teachers is social media itself. Only by being open-minded and using the technology themselves will they be able to really reach out to students.

“ The best teachers I’ve ever had have used technology to enhance the learning process, including Facebook pages and events for upcoming projects” – Katie Benmar, Freshman

  As the above statement emphasizes, students also react very positively when a teacher is willing to use their methods and adapt them as part of the educational process. And it makes perfect sense since a homework has a certain strictness about it, but an online chat discussing a certain book gives students the ability to open up and share their opinions.

Daring Teachers Of course, the examples of teachers already implementing social media in classes are far numerous that we can know of, however, there are a few that did such a great job that their students almost made them viral. For example, a biology teacher from Bergen County proposed a challenge to his students. They had to debate over the subject of meiosis on Twitter by using a specific hashtag. This is a great opportunity for students to have fun and learn at the same time. As you need to know your meiosis in order to compress it into 140 characters.

“ We live in a digital ecosystem, and it is vital that educational institutions adapt ”

Carla Dawson – Digital Marketing Professor at the Catholic University of Cordoba

Professor Dawson really has a valid point there as history showed us all that, no matter how strong the resistance, technological progress and new trends will eventually become a standard. Of course, this applies to developed countries that already have a well-structured traditional educational system. It’s a totally different situation when it comes to developing countries that are still struggling to find their way.

A Stronger Community Through Social Media The benefits of social media in the education process doesn’t have to stop at the teacher-student relationship. There are a lot of other benefits that can be extracted from the use of social networking at higher levels as well. For example, principals or administrators can find a new way to integrate social media. Like sharing school news via social networks, holding online meeting with the parents or even starting fundraising for different projects.

And social media can quickly become the only channel of communication since we’re living fast-paced lives, parents are usually busy with work and cannot attend school meetings. But this doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be in touch with events or be able to check on their kids every once in awhile. Just like in every other field, communication is vital and if it can be done easily with the help of social media, why not go for it?

It may not be criteria just yet, but soon enough questions like ‘Does this school have a Facebook page?’ could become just as important as the things that parents are asking right now. Like, how well equipped the library is or what are the optional classes their child can be part of.

Conclusions The bottom line is that social media is a big part of our day to day life and there’s no point of keeping it away from the education process. School, college and university staff should be encouraged to make use of technology for student and parent communication. This could easily turn into an argumentative essay topic for college . But the benefits are obvious, starting with healthier parent-teacher relationships and all the way to permanently changing the way our children will learn.

Social Media in Education: 13 Ideas for the Classroom

Since gaining widespread popularity in the early 2010s, social media has been a controversial topic when it comes to using it for education. However, many educators are now embracing social media as a teaching tool with a wide array of benefits for learning.

From parent-teacher communications to organizing group projects to developing digital literacy, social media has the potential to enhance the curriculum at any grade level — provided it is used responsibly. Here, we’ll explore eight platforms and five possible uses for social media in the classroom, plus some best practices for keeping it a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone.

How Social Media is Reshaping Education

Pros & cons of social media for students, 8 ways teachers can use social media in the classroom, 5 social media lesson ideas to try, faqs about social media in education.

As around 60% of the world’s population knows, social media can be an effective way to share news, find communities, build social networks and disseminate information instantly to a broad audience. According to Pew Research, 95% of American teens use at least one social media platform — so it makes sense that educators would seek to engage their students using technology they already interact with daily.

Teachers can use social media to organize group projects, communicate with students outside of class, share resources, and much more. Social media also has the potential to connect schools to the wider community for purposes including:

• Sharing school news
• Promoting school events
• Holding virtual town hall meetings
• Advertising fundraising initiatives
• Sending out emergency alerts

Since 90% of U.S. adults are also on social media (and many likely access it on their phones ), it is an incredibly useful medium for sending real-time communications to parents and guardians of school-aged children.

Of course, a tool as powerful as social media requires its users to exercise great responsibility to maintain a respectful, safe online environment. Teachers and students should be clear on both the benefits and risks before using these tools for educational purposes.

Benefits of social media in the classroom:

• Real-time communications can increase student engagement, collaboration, communication and overall participation.
• Many students may find it easier to participate in online discussions than in the classroom.
• Students can easily ask each other or their teacher questions about assignments outside of class.
• Students and teachers can quickly share helpful resources at any time.
• Teachers can easily share announcements with the entire class.
• Social media can provide a contingency plan for last-minute remote learning scenarios .
• Students can organize school events with each other or with the help of a teacher.
• Teachers can augment an online-only class by establishing a social media page or account strictly for building community.
• Students can practice using social platforms responsibly, including maintaining a respectful online discourse.
• Parents can stay informed of school news via a convenient, easily accessible platform.
• Teachers can communicate directly with parents as needed, especially if parents cannot attend an in-person meeting.
• Educators can build and enhance their own tech literacy skills to add to their portfolios.
• Most, if not all, social media platforms are free.

Downsides of using social media in the classroom:

• Social media can be a major distraction in class, especially if students are accessing their personal accounts independently. Private side conversations, off-topic activities and mindless scrolling can all happen when students are granted in-class internet access.
• If students primarily use social platforms to participate in class discussions, they can miss out on practicing face-to-face conversations and respectful in-person discourse.
• Some students may see social media assignments as an opportunity to cyberbully their classmates , so it’s critical that teachers set firm ground rules about responsible social media use.
• There is always a risk of a group member posting inappropriate content or language, since it is difficult to manage how students use social media platforms independently. Teachers must be responsible and attentive administrators to prevent and address inappropriate behavior.

While fewer school-aged young people are using Facebook today (about 32%, Pew finds), it can still be a useful tool for maintaining an online community, posting updates, sharing links and asking questions. Facebook can be used to organize specific projects, communicate with classes, form student clubs, plan events and more. The instant group chat function can facilitate real-time discussions, and Facebook Live enables teachers to lead virtual lessons, stream lectures and hold Q&A sessions. As administrators, teachers can set Facebook groups to private or invite-only to maintain a safe space for students.

Twitter can serve as more of a bite-sized message board where teachers can post short project updates, announcements, links to helpful resources or answer students’ questions. The platform can also serve as the basis for lessons in using concise language , since each post is limited to 280 characters — a valuable skill for both essay writing and future professional communications. Teachers can create dedicated handles or hashtags for each of their classes and invite both students and their guardians to follow along.

Blog posts provide another way for students to practice their essay writing, an increasingly important skill for higher grade levels. Instead of maintaining physical reading journals, students can submit weekly blog posts with their reflections and responses to assigned readings. Teachers can also use blogs to communicate project instructions during remote learning days or vacations and even write up a semester report for parents and guardians to review.

This is an excellent tool for sharing visual resources like infographics, artistic inspiration, tutorials or examples of finished projects. Many teachers use Pinterest to collect and organize their own lesson ideas, so creating a board (or several) where students can pin their own resources encourages collaboration and learning ownership. While students of all ages respond well to visuals, Pinterest may be particularly popular with younger students who are still practicing their reading skills.

Another great visual platform, Instagram can be useful for teachers to share updates, for administrators to post announcements and for students to post project results or follow accounts that are relevant to course content. Teachers can create class-specific accounts where they post assignments, instructions, resources, updates, and more.

This online community provides a space for anyone to unite around any interest imaginable — from fitness to classic film trivia to poetry. Reddit has a bit of an “anything goes” reputation for its lax posting guidelines, but moderators are typically on hand to mitigate any inappropriate or improper use of the platform. There’s a subreddit for every academic subject, so students can peruse threads for project research (while still verifying any information therein) and even post their own questions for the Reddit community to discuss.

Similar to Reddit, YouTube hosts video resources on any topic under the sun. Teachers can easily share educational videos, tutorials and any other type of video content. YouTube is also a great hosting platform for video projects, where students can upload finished videos for their teachers, classmates and guardians to watch on a private class channel.

This professional networking platform is mostly used by people in the post-school workforce, so high school students may not even be aware of it yet. However, whether they decide to attend college or not, learning how to market their skills and build a professional network can help students navigate the job market after graduation. LinkedIn is also a great place to find articles and other resources to help young professionals build their industry knowledge and skills.

The ideas in this section are merely suggestions for unique ways to use social media in the classroom — but the internet is your and your students’ playground! Use these ideas as jumping-off points for your own social media-based lessons.

• Use blogs to chart learning progress. Blogs can be useful tools for language learning, whether that’s practicing how to craft a five-paragraph essay or improving one’s French writing skills. But this long-form writing platform can also be used to track students’ progress in any subject. For example, have chemistry students write biweekly posts summarizing everything they’ve learned in class, and ask them to revisit and write about certain topics once a semester to practice knowledge retrieval. These posts can also serve as test prep and reminders of any concepts students may need to review.
• Use Instagram or TikTok for visual responses. Most social media platforms popular with young people are visual-based, meaning they rely on images and videos to convey information. Writing skills are essential for school, but sometimes it’s easier (and more fun) for students to engage with their learning using formats they’re more comfortable with. Instead of a written response to a textbook chapter, have students react using an appropriate TikTok trend. If students are required to show their work, ask them to create an Instagram carousel or Reel of their process and post it to a class-specific account.
• Use Twitter to illustrate the dangers of misinformation. Learning to find and cite accurate sources is a key skill for students, especially at higher grade levels. Unfortunately, misinformation is easy to encounter on social media, where anyone can make a claim or spread false information without providing a source. Show students an inaccurate tweet or other social post and ask them to verify or debunk its claims. Have them document their research process and cite the sources they used to fact-check the post.
• Use LinkedIn to help older students craft their resumes. Marketing themselves in a professional sense isn’t always a skill young people learn in school, but it’s a skill that proves useful for nearly every adult. Have students use LinkedIn to craft a professional objective, organize and explain their work and educational experiences, ask for recommendations and start making connections with potential mentors and employers.

Best Practices for Social Media in Education

For many young people, social media is a part of their (and their parents’) everyday lives. Chances are, if a teacher chooses to incorporate social media into a lesson, many students will already be familiar with the platform and how to use it. Since students may be accustomed to using social media outside of an educational context, it’s crucial that teachers set ground rules and expectations for the appropriate use of these tools.

The following are some best practices that will keep social media a safe and productive place for students and their teachers:

Set professional boundaries: Many teachers also likely have personal social media accounts, so when using these platforms for lessons, it’s best to create an entirely new account dedicated solely to academics. Keep accounts private and invitation-only so that no one besides students and their parents can access the content. No one, teachers included, should be posting anything about their personal lives or content that is unrelated to the course. Invite students to create new user accounts as well to avoid mixing their personal and academic business.

Prioritize increasing digital literacy: Generations of digital natives (including today’s school-aged children and many of their parents) have likely already been practicing online etiquette, but it never hurts to review both practical and appropriate ways to use social media. Remind students that anything they post online has the potential to exist forever, which becomes especially important as they begin to apply to colleges and search for jobs. Students should conduct themselves online just as they are expected to in school.

Promote student achievements: You and your students put in a lot of work during the school year — share your accomplishments with the community! If your school has a public social media account, provide the account manager with information about your class’s latest project or an upcoming showcase so members of the community can see what students have been up to. Not only does this give students an opportunity to show off their work, but it also serves as promotional information for anyone considering enrolling their own children in the school.

Manage multiple accounts from the same place: If you manage multiple accounts for one or more classes, use a tool like Hootsuite or Facebook Publishing (which integrates Facebook and Instagram) to draft and schedule posts for multiple platforms at once. This is especially helpful when students and parents need the same information, but each group predominantly uses a different platform.

Part of a teacher’s job is to never stop learning, whether it’s about the subject matter they teach, new educational tools or innovative ways to engage students. The University of San Diego offers multiple courses for educators in the Professional and Continuing Education program, including classes covering educational technology , digital literacy , equity in the classroom and more. USD also offers certificate programs that focus on specific aspects of education, so that teachers can build a suite of skills in areas like STEAM education or supporting English language learners .

For a full range of USD courses available through the PCE program, explore all course offerings here .

How can I ensure students’ safety on social media?

To protect students’ privacy, keep all class-related social media accounts private or invitation-only and encourage them to set their own accounts to private or create new class-specific profiles. Review proper online etiquette and behavior with students and establish firm consequences for cyberbullying. As a teacher, it’s critical to maintain professional boundaries online, so avoid discussing or posting anything personal on school social media accounts. You may even want to grant access to students’ parents so they can monitor how their children are using these spaces.

How can I use TikTok in my lessons?

According to Pew Research, 67% of U.S. teens use TikTok , with 16% on the app almost constantly. Since so many students already gather in this digital space, teachers can engage them by creatively incorporating it into lessons. Ask students to film reactions to course content using TikTok trends, conduct research via subject matter experts’ posts, or create response videos in place of traditional project reports.

Which social media platform is best for communicating with parents?

It depends on what kinds of content you want to share and which platforms parents and guardians are comfortable using. At the beginning of each school year, send out a survey asking parents to indicate their preferred social media platform, then use the top two results for parent-facing communications. With so many people on multiple social media platforms, it’s best not to limit school news to just one; fortunately, managing multiple accounts at once is simple with social media management tools like Hootsuite and Facebook Publishing.

5 REASONS WHY CONTINUING EDUCATION MATTERS FOR EDUCATORS

Download eBook: 5 Reasons Why Continuing Education Matters for Educators

Curriculum covered in this article

Educator Programs – 25% Off Teachers Appreciation Sale

Valid   May 1, 2024 – May 31, 2024

Some restrictions apply.  Offer valid only during sale dates. Not all courses apply. **Only one discount can be applied per course.**

Be Sure To Share This Article

• Share on Twitter
• Share on Facebook
• Share on LinkedIn

• Share full article

Advertisement

Supported by

student opinion

Can Social Media Be a Tool for Learning and Growth in Schools?

Or is it something to keep as far away as possible from the classroom and extracurricular activities?

By Michael Gonchar

Find all our Student Opinion questions here.

How does your school view social media like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok ? Does it have its own social media accounts? Do teachers and staff use any of these popular apps to engage with students in the classroom or in after-school clubs?

Do you think social media provides opportunities for learning and growth? Or are these apps at best just entertainment and distractions from school, and at worst, places for gossip, bullying and misinformation?

In “ High Schools to TikTok: We’re Catching Feelings ,” Taylor Lorenz writes about how the app TikTok is getting the stamp of approval in some schools:

WINTER GARDEN, Fla. — On the wall of a classroom that is home to the West Orange High School TikTok club , large loopy words are scrawled across a whiteboard: “Wanna be TikTok famous? Join TikTok club.” It’s working. “There’s a lot of TikTok-famous kids at our school,” said Amanda DiCastro, who is 14 and a freshman. “Probably 20 people have gotten famous off random things.” The school is on a quiet palm-tree-lined street in a town just outside Orlando. A hallway by the principal’s office is busy with blue plaques honoring the school’s A.P. Scholars. Its choir director, Jeffery Redding, won the 2019 Grammy Music Educator Award. Amanda was referring to a different kind of stardom: on TikTok, a social media app where users post short funny videos, usually set to music , that is enjoying a surge in popularity among teenagers around the world and has been downloaded 1.4 billion times, according to SensorTower. The embrace of the app at this school is mirrored on scattered campuses across the United States, where students are forming TikTok clubs to dance, sing and perform skits for the app — essentially drama clubs for the digital age, but with the potential to reach huge audiences. And unlike other social media networks, TikTok is winning over some educators, like Michael Callahan, a teacher at West Orange, who had never heard of TikTok before the students told him about it. He is an adviser to the school’s club and said he loves how the app brings students from different friend groups together. “You see a lot more teamwork and camaraderie,” he said, “and less — I don’t want to say bullying — but focus on individuals.” In many of the videos on the app, which are 15 seconds to a minute long, school hallways, classrooms and courtyards serve as a recurrent backdrop. And if kids aren’t filming themselves at school, they’re making jokes about school. One popular meme on the app mocks the class of 2023 (freshmen this year) for being cringey and trying too hard.

Students, read the entire article, then tell us:

Does your school see social media as a tool for learning? Share how your school and teachers use social media as part of the education process?

Should schools and teachers take better advantage of social media to engage with students? Do you wish your school did? Or should the two worlds remain separate — for everyone’s sake?

Are you familiar with TikTok, the app discussed in the article. What’s your take on it? The reporter states that “teachers at many schools say they view TikTok culture as a net positive.” What do you think?

Do you have any suggestions for how your school could use social media like TikTok to promote student learning and growth? Please share.

Students 13 and older are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public.

Send us an email

15 ways to use social media for education

Written by by Jamia Kenan

Published on  September 6, 2023

Reading time  9 minutes

With remote learning and emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), social media is an integral part of education more than ever. There are many different ways to use social media for education inside and outside the classroom.

Because we believe in the power of social media to make nearly anything easier, we will share 15 ways to use social media for education, based on insights shared with us from top institutions.

Benefits of social media in education

Here are our top three benefits of using social media in education:

Benefit 1: Extends learning opportunities

Social media unleashes more learning opportunities. Online classes and remote jobs are the new norm, so teaching students to work from a distance becomes a necessity for digital literacy and preparing them for their careers. Social media platforms support educators in various ways from sharing announcements to holding live lectures.

Benefit 2: Create connections with students and alumni

Social provides a way for institutions to quickly and directly communicate with students, faculty, staff and alumni, fostering connections across various audiences. Social content can attract prospective students, keep parents informed, grow alumni networks, promote on-campus events and more.

Focusing on nurturing community and publishing engaging content can also help increase enrollment. According to our Higher Education Social Media Benchmarks for 2023 report, 41% of school officials can directly attribute increased enrollment to social strategy.

For example, Keele University said their campus photos on Instagram help students solidify their college decision. One student came to the university because she saw their posts on Facebook and it helped confirm her decision, later becoming a digital ambassador for the school.

Benefit 3: Build brand identity

Social supports and amplifies university branding . University marketing teams use social media to maintain a positive brand reputation for their institutions. With the right strategy, colleges and universities can attract more students, increase endowments, promote events or initiatives and improve alumni relations.

Social media in the classroom

From preschool to college, there are so many methods for using social media in the classroom to communicate and educate. Here are seven ways to use social media in the classroom across platforms:

1. Use posts to broadcast updates and alerts

Instructors and colleges can meet students where they are by incorporating social media platforms they’re likely already familiar with like Facebook or X (formerly known as Twitter).

Have students follow a class Facebook Page or join a Facebook Group to view posts about course updates, homework assignments and tests. Universities can have publicly accessible pages dedicated to specific schools or departments that students can see even if they aren’t active on Facebook.

When using social media for education, it’s important to maintain a professional boundary. Email students a direct link to the Facebook Group for access and avoid sending friend requests. Groups are the perfect “home base,” especially for online courses because it makes it easy to connect with students. Similarly, instructors and departments can use Posts on X to keep students informed.

2. Use live streaming for lectures and discussions

Instructors can use Facebook Groups, Instagram Live, YouTube Live or LinkedIn Live to stream lectures and facilitate more accessible learning. If a student can’t come to the lecture hall, they can join online or review later. Adding live captions helps students who may be deaf or hard of hearing, non-native speakers, or learn visually. And platforms like Instagram and YouTube allow live streams to be recorded, providing students with review material for midterms and finals season.

Recorded live streams also widen the institution’s reach and authority by making lectures available to scholars and professors from other colleges, states or countries.

3. Use X for class updates and more

X is a great option for providing quick updates and reminders to students. Teachers can create a single handle per class and reuse it every year, or they can create a new handle each school year. Use X threads to share resources like practice quizzes, interesting perspectives or thought-provoking quotes to foster critical thinking. Hashtags can mark specific discussions or chats with guest speakers.

4. Create a class blog for discussions and cross-channel learning

Blogs are another great outlet for incorporating social media in the classroom. Students can link to the class blog on other social channels. For example, a student might share a photo from their visual essay on LinkedIn to attract the attention of recruiters for job or internships. Using blogs as a semester-long assignment can improve students’ short-form writing and critical thinking.

Don’t feel limited to just an English or writing class; this use of social media in education can be transferred across all subjects. There are also several platforms professors can use to create class blogs, such as Tumblr, Medium or WordPress. The course syllabus, updates and resources can be shared on the blog as well.

5. Use Instagram for digital storytelling

Have students practice storytelling on Instagram by creating class-specific accounts where they can present photos or graphics (and delete them once the course is over, if they so choose). This can work especially well in visual-heavy classes: Have photojournalism students post essays or challenge the social media marketing class to create a faux-brand campaign.

6. Create a class-specific Pinterest board

Educators can use Pinterest to prepare and organize resources, lesson plans and worksheets for their classes in one place. They can also set up Pinterest boards for each of their classes and save pins that are relevant to lessons.

Create boards according to class or subject, and create sub-topic boards for weekly units, projects or worksheets. Pinterest can also be useful for students to curate a digital bibliography for research projects, papers or group assignments. Students can pin websites, books or videos to a board on a single topic and refer back to it when it’s time to write an essay or thesis.

7. Prep for post-graduation and create alumni relationships

LinkedIn can help current students develop networking skills, craft their personal brand and connect with alumni. Flexing these career muscles could help them earn internships, gain mentors and secure job offers before they walk across the stage on graduation day.

Institutions can use LinkedIn for university colleges as well.  For example, a business school may have several private LinkedIn Groups for regional alumni chapters to connect them with students and faculty for internships, fundraising, volunteer opportunities and events.

Encouraging students to post relevant articles, projects and research, internship experiences and other academic accomplishments helps the university develop social proof on the platform. This is also an excellent example of the importance of incorporating advocacy into your social strategy.

Social media for education marketing

Just as there were many ways to use social media in the classroom, there are also many uses for social media in education marketing. Social media marketing can help if you’re looking to reach a larger audience for your college or university. Let’s dive into how social media can empower education marketing.

8. Leverage TikTok creators and influencers for user-generated content

Although many public universities have banned TikTok from campus Wi-fi , some educators and institutions embrace the app to educate and connect with students. Student and teacher influencers can provide user-generated content that satisfies a prospective student’s desire to see authentic content from their peers and future professors.

For example, Chapman University professor @itsmattprince went viral after challenging his class to earn 1 million likes on a TikTok video in exchange for canceling their final:

Fun, yet real-world applications like this illustrate the power of social influence—plus who doesn’t love a canceled final?

9. Include social media links on your school website

In the Higher Education Social Media Benchmarks for 2023 report, we found that 68% of high school students use social channels to research schools. Many parents and prospective students will check a school’s website first if they’re interested, and offering even more ways to follow the school creates a different insight into campus life.

Make it easy for parents and students to find your school’s social media profiles by adding links to the website’s main navigation or creating a social media directory that houses them all in one place.

10. Give a glimpse into student life through photo and video

If you want to attract new students and parents to your school, share photos of campus events to showcase what they could expect. Use short-form video like Reels, TikTok or YouTube Shorts to help prospective students envision themselves attending college there.

Highlighting events, sports, extracurriculars and the beauty of campus can make your school stand out from the rest. While school and university websites tend to follow the same mold, social media allows you to be more unique and casual like this Barbenheimer-inspired post from the University of Georgia:

11. Create alumni community groups

Many alumni want to remain involved with their alma mater after graduation. Creating a dedicated community via Facebook Groups or LinkedIn Groups can increase engagement.

For example, the University of Newcastle has over 148,000 alumni. Their team features current students, staff and alumni to amplify the career opportunities that manifest from being part of their community.

Alumni groups, groups for different graduating classes or departments, and groups for different extracurriculars and organizations allow former and current students to engage and meet others with common interests. Take a look at our alumni engagement best practices guide to learn more ways to keep the school spirit flowing.

12. Incorporate a social media crisis strategy

How would you communicate to the entire campus during an emergency? Whether it’s a fire, tornado or other immediate campus emergency, a social media crisis plan can help institutions proactively prepare. Keep parents and students updated on the situation by sharing information about the crisis and if authorities are involved. Many campuses have automated messaging alerts set up, but using social also enables people to be updated in real time.

Institutions can use social listening , which involves analyzing conversations and trends related to your brand , to aid with public relations crisis management plans. Seneca College leveraged Sprout’s capabilities a few years ago when 12,000 staff members went on strike. Using Brand Keywords and the Smart Inbox, the social media team was able to sort through and respond to a deluge of inbound feedback from concerned students.

13. Use chatbots to support students outside of office hours

In our higher education social media playbook , we talk about the importance of social customer service. Using automated replies or chatbots can help the student body get their questions answered immediately, or at least guide them to a solution faster.

Keele University used chatbots via Sprout’s Bot Builder to respond immediately to common questions about courses and bursary information. In the five months after using chatbots, nearly 500 conversations addressed a variety of topics from housing applications to international student services.

14. Iterate social strategy to create student-centric content

Using social media for education allows educators and marketers to meet students where they are by connecting on channels they use everyday. Social creates an opportunity for institutions to be more even more student-centric. But to keep students engaged, institutions will need to produce content that caters to the wants and needs of their audience(s).

If you want to manage your institution’s social channels successfully, you’ll need to iterate and improve your strategy by reviewing the top and lowest performing content.

Dartmouth College uses Sprout’s Sent Messages report to determine content performance and iterate their overall social strategy as needed. After reviewing which posts performed well, they schedule new posts with similar content to inform their content calendar.

15. Manage your communities all under one roof

Social media empowers universities to bring their various audiences together. Many institutions have an extensive community of prospective and current students, faculty, staff and alumni, but this causes a common pain point: decentralization.

Since colleges and universities have multiple social media accounts, it can be difficult to manage them all seamlessly. However, using a social media management software centralizes multiple networks in one place, so overseeing various accounts becomes more manageable and scalable.

Texas A&M University , one of the largest public universities in the nation, uses social media to connect with these various communities. The university has hundreds of departments, 16 colleges and 19 NCAA sports, so using a social media management tool is essential. Their social team uses Sprout’s publishing suite to discuss strategy, collaborate on content creation and provide feedback to interns all on one platform. In just six months, between August 2020 and January 2021,  Texas A&M earned over 131 million impressions and 8.3 million content engagements across X, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.

A tool like Sprout Social can help make social media management a breeze, regardless of whether you’re a solo marketer or a full marketing department. Multiple users can use the Sprout platform to create content with consistent messaging and schedule posts across networks at the best time using our ViralPost® feature .

And the Post Performance report takes the guesswork out of identifying what content resonates because teams can pinpoint top posts and view engagement across channels.

Sprout enables you to monitor and manage multiple accounts across different networks, which is ideal for educational institutions. Each department or teacher at your school might have their own separate social media accounts for specific information, and a social media management tool can help you ensure the right posts are going out on each of these accounts.

And if there is news or content relevant to multiple departments, Sprout enables users to share the same content across multiple profiles with a single click.

Start using social media for education

Using social media for education goes beyond the classroom because it helps educators shape a modern holistic learning experience, build community and establish academic authority.

Take some of these ideas for a test drive, and sign up for a free Sprout Social trial to help you manage it all.

• Data Report
• Higher Education

Higher Education Social Media Benchmarks for 2023

• Social Listening

Choose wisely: Higher education marketers take on College Decision Day

How Texas A&M uses Sprout Social to build communities and accessible content

• Social Media Strategy

How the University of Newcastle uses Sprout to power their full funnel marketing strategy

• Now on slide

Build and grow stronger relationships on social

Sprout Social helps you understand and reach your audience, engage your community and measure performance with the only all-in-one social media management platform built for connection.

Using Social Media in Education: 10 Can’t-Miss Tips

The best educators know there’s no point in resisting social media in education. Go on, invite those apps into the classroom.

10 tips for using social media in education

Social media has revolutionized the way we connect and communicate with each other. And not just in our personal lives. Teachers and administrators have realized the potential of using social media in education.

Today, the best educators are embracing social media’s role in the classroom. But if you feel overwhelmed by the possibilities, you’re in the right place.

There are many advantages of using social media in education . Keep reading for our top tips, including lesson ideas you can steal and tools that can make your life easier.

Download a free bundle of social media tools designed specifically for universities and colleges — including post ideas, a social policy template, a social media strategy template, and alumni reachout templates.

The benefits of social media in education

How does social media influence education?

The biggest advantage is engagement. And, as any teacher knows, engagement is key to student success. When students get involved in their learning, they learn better.

Plus, most social networking sites and resources are free! This is especially great if you’re an educator with a tight budget for materials.

Let’s go over a few more benefits of using social media in education.

Increase engagement

Normally, when we discuss “engagement,” we’re referring to likes, comments, and shares on a social media post. However, “engagement” can have a double meaning when using social media in education.

Student engagement is key to a successful classroom. When students are engaged, curious, and social in class, it shows that you are succeeding as an educator.

Social media resources can help facilitate and encourage engagement with your students.

Why? Well, when most teens are active on social media (particularly YouTube and TikTok, according to the Pew Research Center ), using social media in the classroom helps you meet them where they are.

Connect students with resources from experts around the world

One of the best things to come out of social media is the ability to connect with anyone around the world. This has a benefit in the classroom, too — especially for higher education programs .

You can connect students with global resources and experts to help broaden their perspectives. Host an Instagram Live with an expert or have students connect with professionals on LinkedIn to enhance their learning experience.

Facilitate communication and collaboration between classmates

Most students are comfortable using social media to communicate. It only makes sense to bring that communication method into the classroom.

Social media can be a great way to facilitate conversations around lessons or collaborations for group projects. Think private Facebook Groups or Slack channels. Students can also build their collaborative skills with document-sharing tools like Google Docs. Groups of students can share notes and collaborate during lessons in real time.

It’s not just great for students, either. Social media can help build relationships between teachers and students, making it easier to communicate with students about classroom updates or other discussions.

Provide a platform for sharing information and ideas

Inviting, rather than resisting, social media into your classroom can have huge benefits. Use it to promote collaboration, share resources and ideas, and provide real-time feedback.

And for educators, social media can be a valuable professional development tool. You can connect with other teachers or educator communities on social media to learn new strategies or engagement methods.

Meet students where they’re at with the tool that makes it easy to engage, recruit, schedule, measure, and win.

10 ways teachers can use social media in the classroom

Social media has endless opportunities for educators and students. As a tool, it can help students improve digital literacy and critical thinking skills. It can also help promote your class, your institution, and yourself.

Here are 10 essential ways to use social media in education:

1. Attract new students with a campaign

A great way to use social media for education is to attract new students to your school or course. For example, if you want to increase enrollment, create a social media campaign that highlights the benefits students would gain from your program.

Consider running a campaign to raise awareness of your program a few weeks before it starts. In your campaign, you could:

• Use scarcity and urgency techniques (“50% sold out already!”)
• Offer a discounted rate for early bird sign-ups
• Tease the benefits students will get from the course

MasterClass does a great job promoting its classes by teasing content through Reels. These short videos offer a preview of what students can expect from the full course.

Source: mistyonpointe on Instagram

This TikTok video from the University of Idaho is another example of how to use social media to attract new students. The video highlights different reasons to attend the school from the perspective of current students, making it relatable to the audience they’re trying to reach.

Source: University of Idaho on TikTok

2. Build a community

If you lead virtual classes or have alumni around the world, an online community is essential.

Communities can take many forms, too. Private Facebook Pages may be great for class discussion, while public hashtags can amplify important content.

A Facebook Group or Page is a natural fit if you’re focusing on student engagement. Here, folks can discuss the course, post questions and comments, and connect over shared experiences.

This private Facebook Group for incoming freshmen at The University of Texas at Austin is a great example of a private community.

Source: Class of 2028, The University of Texas on Facebook

A catchy hashtag can go a long way if you’re building brand awareness. Take Cornell University , for example; they’ve included #Cornell in their bio on Twitter (X) to encourage conversations.

Source: Cornell University on X

You can also turn community-building into a lesson. Have your students create a strategy to build a community-based Facebook group based on their shared interests.

To be successful, they’ll need to figure out a niche or specific problem they can solve. This forces your students to develop their problem-solving skills.

3. Broadcast updates and alerts

Many educational institutions have internal communication software used to share alerts with students. But they’re often notorious for their clunky technology and slow load times. That’s why it’s often much easier for students to check Twitter, now X, for real-time updates.

If you post class updates on social media, your students can check in from their devices anytime. Social media is a great way for clubs and instructors to keep their communities informed.

Source: Calgary Linguistics on X

You can also use social to broadcast to a crowd if you have relevant information for an entire student body or your broader community. Sharing major announcements on social media helps distribute the news to a wider network faster.

Source: Texas State University on X

4. Livestream your lectures

Trying to reach a broader audience or just make your content more accessible? Consider livestreaming your lectures via platforms like Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube.

Online lectures allow students to access content independently and at their own pace. Some students may have difficulty attending classes. In those cases, online lectures can be a lifesaver. Students can review your lecture as often as needed to fully understand the material.

Livestreaming your lecture also allows you to reach a wider audience. Students from other institutions or countries can watch and learn. This open access will expand the reach of your expertise.

The University of Pennsylvania’s College of Liberal and Professional Studies (Penn LPS) frequently posts virtual information sessions on its YouTube channel.

If you’re able to moderate the chat, it’s also an easy way to engage students. Introverted students may find it easier to type a question instead of speaking in front of a crowd. Plus, you can add captions to your lecture, making it more accessible.

5. Focus on increasing digital literacy

Social media is a powerhouse. You can use it to find a job, build your skills, connect with potential employers, and much more.

But on the flip side, social media doesn’t forget. Once you post something on the internet, people can almost always find it again.

That means digital literacy is more important than ever. Students of all ages must learn how to be responsible and effective while using these tools.

As an educator, you can help your students develop the skills they need to succeed by creating digital literacy workshops and programs. Take this digital literacy program hosted by UT Extension of Henderson County. The organization promotes its digital literacy program for seniors on its Facebook Page.

Source: UT Extension Henderson County on Faceboo k

6. Generate UGC

User-generated content (UGC) is any content created by regular people, not brands. Your students are likely already generating content. Why not encourage them to post on the topics you’re teaching? You could incentivize participation with a bump in grades or as bonus work.

FYI: You’ll have better results if you give your students parameters. Don’t just say, “Post about class, and you get one get-out-of-homework free card!” Instead, create a relevant hashtag for them to use. Or, say, for bonus points on an assignment, they can post a photo of themselves working on the assignment.

For instance, the Parsons School of Design regularly reposts student work on Instagram. Getting featured in front of Parsons’ audience of over 150K is a great incentive for students to share their work and tag the school.

Source: Parsons School of Design on Instagram

As always, ask permission before you repost their content, and be sure that the content is compliant with any internal policies at your organization. If you’re new to UGC, here are some best practices .

See the latest data and discover the top social media trends specific to education — and craft a strategy that’s too cool for school.

7. Create opportunities for active and passive learning

As an educator, you probably use a mix of active and passive learning.

Active learning requires students to actively engage with the lesson. This may be through discussions, challenges, or debates. You can even task your students with creating a photo or video essay hosted on a social media platform. Instagram is great for photo essays, while YouTube or TikTok work for video essays.

Passive learning requires learners to listen to lessons and absorb the information. Then, they must consider or translate the information. In classrooms, this might look like lectures and note-taking.

Social media poses an opportunity for both active and passive learning. For example, you could lecture your students on the dangers of misinformation on X. Then, task them to find a misinformed tweet and present their fact-checking process. Students will learn to examine data and provide evidence supporting their findings.

The combination of active and passive learning allows students to absorb information and then engage with what they’ve learned.

8. Teach networking and thought leadership skills

The working world is becoming more globalized and competitive every day. So, teaching students to develop networking and thought-leadership skills is essential.

By creating a LinkedIn profile and connecting with other professionals, students can:

• Learn how to build and nurture relationships
• Identify potential mentors
• Develop a personal brand

One way to do this is by sharing workshops on social media. Workshops offer a valuable opportunity for students to network, learn new skills, and form an opinion on a subject.

Source: Dougherty Arts Center on Facebook

Schools and educators can also use LinkedIn to show thought leadership in action. Your students, teachers, and departments can share resources, request feedback, and post relevant articles and videos.

Source: University of Southern California on LinkedIn

As students become more comfortable using LinkedIn, they can start exploring. Encourage them to follow other thought leaders and join conversations.

9. Develop discussion and critical thinking skills

Is your lesson goal to promote critical thinking? Then you might have students tweet their responses to weekly discussion prompts.

The limited character count will force students to be concise. They’ll have to identify their argument and communicate it without wasting words.

10. Celebrate student and alumni achievements

If you work in higher education , alumni relations are key to your social media strategy.

One way to engage both current and former students is to keep up with their achievements and post-graduate lives. You can do this by showcasing student news on your social media channels.

Not only does this reengage alumni and spark pride in current students, but it highlights your school’s impressive feats to the greater community.

Source: Texas State University on LinkedIn

A tool to help you use social media in education

Hootsuite can help make life a little easier. And with Hootsuite’s Student Program, qualified educators even get a deal!

Educators and administrators, here are four features that deserve your attention.

Scheduling capabilities

Scheduling all of your social posts in advance can help you save major time. If you’ve got a lot on your plate — as most educators do — this can be a huge help.

Hootsuite Planner’s calendar view makes it easy to see each post you’ve scheduled across every platform.

You can filter posts by account, drag and drop upcoming posts to new times or days, or easily duplicate recurring content — all from one simple dashboard.

Social listening

Hootsuite’s social listening tools help you analyze millions of online, real-time conversations.

You can use Streams to track topics that are relevant to your lessons or set alerts for your institution’s name. You’ll see what people are thinking and feeling, and you can use that data to influence your practices.

Hootsuite also integrates with more advanced social listening tools, like Talkwalker.

Talkwalker offers analytics related to social conversations beyond your owned social properties, including:

• Brand sentiment
• Important influencers
• Conversation clusters

Talkwalker is especially useful to spot activity peaks in conversations about your accounts. This can help you determine the best times for you to post on social media .

Psst: Hootsuite is set to acquire Talkwalker VERY SOON . This means that you will get access to Talkwalker social listening and analytics directly in your Hootsuite dashboard!

If you’re serious about using social, you’ll want to make time to review your work and make adjustments based on your findings.

Hootsuite’s Analytics can help you dig deep into the numbers and show you what’s working and what’s not with your social strategy.

But analytics can also be a valuable teaching tool.

Understanding data analytics is a huge advantage, especially in our tech-forward age. Learning how to translate insight into action is a huge win. Students who understand how to interpret data are more employable, period.

Access to online courses

Want to take your social marketing to the next level? Hootsuite Academy offers on-demand video training to help you build your skills and engage with your audience. If you’re planning to teach with social media, these courses are a must-have.

Learn all the ways Hootsuite can help educational institutions improve their social efforts.

Using social media in education has never been easier. With Hootsuite, you can manage all of your social profiles, schedule and publish posts, engage your followers, monitor relevant conversations, analyze results, manage your ads, and much more — all from one simple dashboard. Try it free today.

Attract, recruit, and retain students with Hootsuite, the #1 social media tool for education .

Become a better social marketer.

Get expert social media advice delivered straight to your inbox.

Colleen Christison is a freelance copywriter, copy editor, and brand communications specialist. She spent the first six years of her career in award-winning agencies like Major Tom, writing for social media and websites and developing branding campaigns. Following her agency career, Colleen built her own writing practice, working with brands like Mission Hill Winery, The Prevail Project, and AntiSocial Media.

Sam Lauron is a freelance writer who works with B2B and SaaS companies in marketing, ecommerce, business, and related tech. With a background in editorial writing and content marketing, she uses her communications and research skills to produce helpful content that inspires and informs readers.

Related Articles

Social Media in Higher Education: 14 Essential Tips

As Gen Z goes to college, establishing a presence on social media has never been more important for higher education institutions.

15 Great Social Media Training Courses and Resources

Social media training courses are a great way for digital marketers to level up their skillset. Check out these great courses in 2023.

How to Use Social Media in Healthcare: Examples + Tips

There are many positive ways to use social media in healthcare, including promoting awareness and sharing accurate health messaging.

Advertisement

Social media, teenagers, and the school context: a scoping review of research in education and related fields

• Published: 25 June 2020
• Volume 68 , pages 1635–1658, ( 2020 )

Cite this article

• Vanessa P. Dennen   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-2076-074X 1 ,
• Hajeen Choi 1 &
• Kari Word 1  

8874 Accesses

28 Citations

5 Altmetric

Explore all metrics

This scoping review of research explores which disciplines have studied social media as it relates to education and, more broadly, use by students of high school and college age. The sample explores 10 years of research (2009–2018). A search of Web of Science yielded 580 relevant peer-reviewed articles published through the end of 2018, with 260 (44.8%) of these articles focused on education. Research in this area has been on a steady upward trajectory since 2009, the first year when relevant social media articles appeared. About half of this research was conducted in North American settings, and quantitative surveys were the most popular data collection method. Findings show that within education, the dominant themes of research on social media were use as a teaching and learning tool; adoption, use, and beliefs; digital literacy; effects of use; and identity. Outside of education, the dominant themes were negative behaviors, health issues, identity development and expression, digital citizenship, and social relationships. This review shows several areas where education researchers and practitioners would benefit from attending to research conducted outside of our discipline. Although the field of educational research sufficiently addresses issues like teacher professional development and pedagogical uses of social media, the larger issues that affect our students and, in turn, the school context are being explored in other disciplines.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price includes VAT (Russian Federation)

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Rent this article via DeepDyve

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

A review of Education and Social Media using functionalist and conflict theories of educational purposes

A review of education and social media using conflict and functionalist theories, social media usage by higher education academics: a scoping review of the literature.

Addi-Raccah, A., & Yemini, M. (2018). What is up? Parental Whatsapp discussion groups in diverse educational settings in Israel. Multicultural Education Review, 10 (4), 310–326. https://doi.org/10.1080/2005615x.2018.1532224 .

Article   Google Scholar  

Agosto, D. E., & Abbas, J. (2015). “Don’t be dumb—that’s the rule I try to live by”: A closer look at older teens’ online privacy and safety attitudes. New Media & Society, 19 (3), 347–365. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444815606121 .

Airton, L. (2018). The de/politicization of pronouns: Implications of the No Big Deal Campaign for gender-expansive educational policy and practice. Gender and Education, 30 (6), 790–810. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540253.2018.1483489 .

Anderson, M., & Jiang, J. (2018). Teens, social media & technology 2018 . Washington, DC: Pew Research.

Google Scholar  

Anderson, M., & Perrin, A. (2017). Tech adoption climbs among older adults. Retrieved from https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2017/05/17/tech-adoption-climbs-among-older-adults/

Andersson, A., Hatakka, M., Gronlund, A., & Wiklund, M. (2014). Reclaiming the students—coping with social media in 1:1 schools. Learning Media and Technology, 39 (1), 37–52. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439884.2012.756518 .

Anez, E., Fornieles-Deu, A., Fauquet-Ars, J., Lopez-Guimera, G., Punti-Vidal, J., & Sanchez-Carracedo, D. (2018). Body image dissatisfaction, physical activity and screen-time in Spanish adolescents. Journal of Health Psychology, 23 (1), 36–47. https://doi.org/10.1177/1359105316664134 .

Aran-Ramspott, S., Fedele, M., & Tarragó, A. (2018). YouTubers' social functions and their influence on pre-adolescence. Communicar, 26 (2), 32.

Arksey, H., & O'Malley, L. (2005). Scoping studies: Towards a methodological framework. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 8 (1), 19–32. https://doi.org/10.1080/1364557032000119616 .

Asbjørnslett, M., Engelsrud, G. H., & Helseth, S. (2014). How children with disabilities engage in occupations during a transitional phase. Journal of Occupational Science, 22 (3), 320–333. https://doi.org/10.1080/14427591.2014.952365 .

Asterhan, C. S. C., & Rosenberg, H. (2015). The promise, reality and dilemmas of secondary school teacher-student interactions in Facebook: The teacher perspective. Computers & Education, 85 , 134–148. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2015.02.003 .

Avigur-Eshel, A., & Berkovich, I. (2018). Who "likes' public education: Social media activism, middle-class parents, and education policy in Israel. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 39 (6), 844–859. https://doi.org/10.1080/01425692.2017.1418294 .

Bercovici, J. (2010). Who coined ‘social media’? Web pioneers compete for credit . New York: Forbes.

Bert, F., Gualano, M. R., Camussi, E., & Siliquini, R. (2016). Risks and threats of social media websites: Twitter and the proana movement. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 19 (4), 233–238. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2015.0553 .

Borko, H. (2004). Professional development and teacher learning: Mapping the terrain. Educational Researcher, 33 (8), 3–15. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X033008003 .

Brunborg, G. S., Andreas, J. B., & Kvaavik, E. (2017). Social media use and episodic heavy drinking among adolescents. Psychological Reports, 120 (3), 475–490. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033294117697090 .

Cénat, J. M., Hebert, M., Blais, M., Lavoie, F., Guerrier, M., & Derivois, D. (2014). Cyberbullying, psychological distress and self-esteem among youth in Quebec schools. Journal of Affective Disorders, 169 , 7–9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2014.07.019 .

Chang, B., & Lu, F. C. (2018). Social media facilitated english prewriting activity design and evaluation. Asia-Pacific Education Researcher, 27 (1), 33–42. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40299-017-0363-0 .

Chapin, J., & Coleman, G. J. T. S. S. J. (2017). The cycle of cyberbullying: Some experience required. The Social Science Journal, 54 (3), 314–318. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soscij.2017.03.004 .

Charteris, J., Gregory, S., & Masters, Y. (2018). "Snapchat', youth subjectivities and sexuality: Disappearing media and the discourse of youth innocence. Gender and Education, 30 (2), 205–221. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540253.2016.1188198 .

Chen, M. M., & Murphy, H. C. (2018). Hotel school alumni's intentions to use communication channels: A cross-generational comparison study. Journal of Teaching in Travel & Tourism, 18 (3), 202–216. https://doi.org/10.1080/15313220.2018.1431590 .

Chua, T. H. H., & Chang, L. (2016). Follow me and like my beautiful selfies: Singapore teenage girls’ engagement in self-presentation and peer comparison on social media. Computers in Human Behavior, 55 , 190–197. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2015.09.011 .

Chung, T. Y., & Chen, Y. L. (2018). Exchanging social support on online teacher groups: Relation to teacher self-efficacy. Telematics and Informatics, 35 (5), 1542–1552. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2018.03.022 .

Colvin, J., French, J., Siperstein, A., Capizzani, T. R., & Krishnamurthy, V. D. (2018). Addressing professionalism, social, and communication competencies in surgical residency via integrated humanities workshops: A pilot curriculum. Journal of Surgical Education, 75 (3), 589–593. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsurg.2017.09.035 .

Danermark, B. (2019). Applied interdisciplinary research: A critical realist perspective. Journal of Critical Realism, 18 (4), 368–382. https://doi.org/10.1080/14767430.2019.1644983 .

Davis, J. L., & Jurgenson, N. (2014). Context collapse: Theorizing context collusions and collisions. Information, Communication & Society, 17 (4), 476–485. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118x.2014.888458 .

Dennen, V. P. (2018). Social media and instructional design. In R. A. Reiser & J. V. Dempsey (Eds.), Trends and issues in instructional design and technology (pp. 237–243). New York, NY: Pearson Education.

Dennen, V. P., & Bong, J. (2015). Behind the scenes of an independent MOOC: Instructional design problems and solutions. International Journal for Educational Media and Technology, 9 (1), 25–31.

Dennen, V. P., & Burner, K. J. (2017). Identity, context collapse, and Facebook use in higher education: Putting presence and privacy at odds. Distance Education, 38 (2), 173–192. https://doi.org/10.1080/01587919.2017.1322453 .

Dennen, V. P., & Rutledge, S. A. (2018). The embedded lesson approach to social media research: Researching online phenomena in an authentic offline setting. TechTrends, 62 (5), 483–491. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-018-0315-4 .

Dennen, V. P., Rutledge, S. A., & Bagdy, L. M. (2019). Social media use in high school settings: Rules, outcomes, and educational opportunities. In Proceedings of the 10th international conference on social media and society (pp. 205–213). Toronto, ON: ACM.

Dennen, V. P., Rutledge, S. A., Bagdy, L. M., Rowlett, J. T., & Burnick, S. (2018). Avoiding drama: Student and teacher positioning within a school's social media ecosystem. In Proceedings of the 9th international conference on social media and society (pp. 271–275). New York, NY: ACM.

Dennen, V. P., Rutledge, S. A., Bagdy, L. M., Rowlett, J. T., Burnick, S., & Joyce, S. (2017). Context collapse and student social media networks: Where life and high school collide. In Proceedings of the 8th international conference on social media & society . https://doi.org/10.1145/3097286.3097318

Diulio, A., & Arendt, C. E. (2018). #CancelTheDuggars and #BoycottTLC: Image repair or exploitation in reality television. Public Relations Review, 44 (2), 224–235. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2017.12.001 .

Dubuc-Charbonneau, N., & Durand-Bush, N. (2018). Helping student-athletes learn to self-regulate to alleviate burnout: A multiple case study showcasing their challenging but altering experiences. Qualitative Research in Sport Exercise and Health, 10 (3), 273–290. https://doi.org/10.1080/2159676x.2018.1433226 .

Eger, L., Klement, M., Tomczyk, L., Pisonova, M., & Petrova, G. (2018). Different user groups of university students and their ICT competence; Evidence from three countries in central Europe. Journal of Baltic Science Education, 17 (5), 851–866.

Ekström, M. (2015). Young people’s everyday political talk: A social achievement of democratic engagement. Journal of Youth Studies, 19 (1), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/13676261.2015.1048207 .

Eleuteri, S., Saladino, V., & Verrastro, V. (2017). Identity, relationships, sexuality, and risky behaviors of adolescents in the context of social media. Sexual and Relationship Therapy, 32 (3–4), 354–365. https://doi.org/10.1080/14681994.2017.1397953 .

Englander, E. K. (2018). Risky business: Talking with your patients about cyberbullying and sexting. Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics, 27 (2), 287–305. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chc.2017.11.010 .

Eurostat. (2015). Being young in Europe today—digital world . Retrieved from Belgium

Fidan, M., & Debbag, M. (2018). The usage of video blog (vlog) in the “School Experience" course: The opinions of the pre-service teachers. Journal of Education and Future-Egitim Ve Gelecek Dergisi, 13 , 161–177.

Foley, N. M., Maher, B. M., & Corrigan, M. A. (2014). Social media and tomorrow's medical students—how do they fit? Journal of Surgical Education, 71 (3), 385–390.

Forkosh-Baruch, A., & Hershkovitz, A. (2018). Broadening communication yet holding back: Teachers' perceptions of their relationship with students in the SNS-era. Education and Information Technologies, 23 (2), 725–740. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-017-9632-z .

Franchina, V., Vanden Abeele, M., van Rooij, A. J., Lo Coco, G., & De Marez, L. (2018). Fear of missing out as a predictor of problematic social media use and phubbing behavior among Flemish adolescents. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 15 (10), 2319. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15102319 .

Galland, B. C., Gray, A. R., Penno, J., Smith, C., Lobb, C., & Taylor, R. W. (2017). Gender differences in sleep hygiene practices and sleep quality in New Zealand adolescents aged 15 to 17 years. Sleep Health, 3 (2), 77–83. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleh.2017.02.001 .

Gleason, B. (2015). New literacies practices of teenage Twitter users. Learning, Media and Technology, 41 (1), 31–54. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439884.2015.1064955 .

Gleason, B. (2018). Thinking in hashtags: Exploring teenagers' new literacies practices on Twitter. Learning Media and Technology, 43 (2), 165–180. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439884.2018.1462207 .

Gomes, A. W., Butera, G., Chretien, K. C., & Kind, T. (2017). The development and impact of a social media and professionalism course for medical students. Teaching and Learning in Medicine, 29 (3), 296–303.

Gong, W., Stump, R. L., & Li, Z. G. (2014). Global use and access of social networking web sites: A national culture perspective. Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing, 8 (1), 37–55. https://doi.org/10.1108/jrim-09-2013-0064 .

Goodrich, K., & de Mooij, M. (2014). How ‘social’ are social media? A cross-cultural comparison of online and offline purchase decision influences. Journal of Marketing Communications, 20 (1–2), 103–116. https://doi.org/10.1080/13527266.2013.797773 .

Greenhow, C., & Askari, E. (2017). Learning and teaching with social network sites: A decade of research in K-12 related education. Education and Information Technologies, 22 (2), 623–645. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-015-9446-9 .

Greenhow, C., Cho, V., Dennen, V. P., & Fishman, B. J. (2019). Education and social media: Research directions to guide a growing field. Teachers College Record, 121 , 14.

Greenhow, C., & Lewin, C. (2016). Social media and education: Reconceptualizing the boundaries of formal and informal learning. Learning, Media and Technology, 41 (1), 6–30. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439884.2015.1064954 .

Greenhow, C., & Robelia, B. (2009). Informal learning and identity formation in online social networks. Learning, Media and Technology, 34 (2), 119–140. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439880902923580 .

Harbard, E., Allen, N. B., Trinder, J., & Bei, B. (2016). What's keeping teenagers up? Prebedtime behaviors and actigraphy-assessed sleep pver school and vacation. Journal of Adolescent Health, 58 (4), 426–432. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2015.12.011 .

Haynie, D. L., Nansel, T., Eitel, P., Crump, A. D., Saylor, K., Yu, K., et al. (2001). Bullies, victims, and bully/victims: Distinct groups of at-risk youth. The Journal of Early Adolescence, 21 (1), 29–49. https://doi.org/10.1177/0272431601021001002 .

Heiss, R., & Matthes, J. (2016). Mobilizing for some: The effects of politicians’ participatory Facebook posts on young people’s political efficacy. Journal of Media Psychology, 28 (3), 123–135. https://doi.org/10.1027/1864-1105/a000199 .

Hong, J.-C., Tsai, C.-R., Fan-Chiang, C., & Hwang, M.-Y. (2016). Mindfulness in learning safe sex via social media: Perspectives of personality and experiential value. Computers in Human Behavior, 64 , 337–346. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.06.033 .

Howard, D. E., Debnam, K. J., Cham, H. J., Czinn, A., Aiken, N., Jordan, J., et al. (2015). The (mal) adaptive value of mid-adolescent dating relationship labels. The Journal of Primary Prevention, 36 (3), 187–203. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10935-015-0387-2 .

Hu, S., Torphy, K. T., Opperman, A., Jansen, K., & Lo, Y.-J. (2018). What do teachers share within socialized knowledge communities: A case of Pinterest. Journal of Professional Capital and Community, 3 (2), 97–122. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPCC-11-2017-0025 .

JanisWolak, J. D., Finkelhor, D., Walsh, W., & Treitman, L. (2018). Sextortion of minors: Characteristics and dynamics. Journal of Adolescent Health, 62 (1), 72–79. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2017.08.014 .

Junco, R. (2012a). The relationship between frequency of Facebook use, participation in Facebook activities, and student engagement. Computers & Education, 58 (1), 162–171. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2011.08.004 .

Junco, R. (2012b). Too much face and not enough books: The relationship between multiple indices of Facebook use and academic performance. Computers in Human Behavior, 28 (1), 187–198. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2011.08.026 .

Kaplan, S., Milde, J., & Cowan, R. S. (2017). Symbiont practices in boundary spanning: Bridging the cognitive and political divides in interdisciplinary research. Academy of Management Journal, 60 (4), 1387–1414. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2015.0809 .

Kelly, L. L. (2018). A snapchat story: how black girls develop strategies for critical resistance in school. Learning Media and Technology, 43 (4), 374–389. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439884.2018.1498352 .

Kernan, W., Marks, R., Bogart, J., & Wheat, M. E. (2011). Health-related barriers to learning among graduate students. Health Education, 111 (5), 425–445. https://doi.org/10.1108/09654281111161248 .

Kimmons, R., Carpenter, J. P., Veletsianos, G., & Krutka, D. G. (2018). Mining social media divides: An analysis of K-12 US School uses of Twitter. Learning Media and Technology, 43 (3), 307–325. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439884.2018.1504791 .

Kodkanon, K., Pinit, P., & Murphy, E. (2018). High-school teachers' experiences of interdisciplinary team teaching. Issues in Educational Research, 28 (4), 967–989.

Kusyanti, A., Catherina, H. P. A., Puspitasari, D. R., & Sari, Y. A. L. (2018). Teen's social media adoption: An empirical investigation in Indonesia. International Journal of Advanced Computer Science and Applications, 9 (2), 380–384.

Lenhart, A. (2015). Teens, social media and technology overview 2015. In Pew Research Center. Retrieved from https://www.pewinternet.org/files/2015/04/PI_TeensandTech_Update2015_0409151.pdf .

Lenzi, M., Vieno, A., Altoe, G., Scacchi, L., Perkins, D. D., Zukauskiene, R., et al. (2015). Can Facebook informational use foster adolescent civic engagement? American Journal of Community Psychology, 55 (3–4), 444–454. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10464-015-9723-1 .

Li, P., Chang, L., Chua, T. H. H., & Loh, R. S. M. (2018). “Likes” as KPI: An examination of teenage girls’ perspective on peer feedback on Instagram and its influence on coping response. Telematics and Informatics, 35 (7), 1994–2005.

Li, Q., Xue, Y. Y., Zhao, L., Jia, J., & Feng, L. (2017). Analyzing and identifying teens' stressful periods and stressor events from a microblog. IEEE Journal of Biomedical and Health Informatics, 21 (5), 1434–1448. https://doi.org/10.1109/jbhi.2016.2586519 .

Li, W., & Wu, Y. (2017). Adolescents’ social reading: Motivation, behaviour, and their relationship. The Electronic Library, 35 (2), 246–262. https://doi.org/10.1108/el-12-2015-0239 .

Lievrouw, L. A. (1989). The invisible college reconsidered: Bibliometrics and the development of scientific communication theory. Communication Research, 16 (5), 615–628.

MacIsaac, S., Kelly, J., & Gray, S. (2018). She has like 4000 followers!: The celebrification of self within school social networks. Journal of Youth Studies, 21 (6), 816–835. https://doi.org/10.1080/13676261.2017.1420764 .

Marnocha, S., Marnocha, M. R., & Pilliow, T. (2015). Unprofessional content posted online among nursing students. Nurse Educator, 40 (3), 119–123. https://doi.org/10.1097/NNE.0000000000000123 .

Marwick, A. E., & Boyd, D. (2014). Networked privacy: How teenagers negotiate context in social media. New Media & Society, 16 (7), 1051–1067. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444814543995 .

Mérelle, S., Kleiboer, A., Schotanus, M., Cluitmans, T., Waardenburg, C., Kramer, D., et al. (2017). Which health-related problems are associated with problematic video-gaming or social media use in adolescents? A large-scale cross-sectional study. Clinical Neuropsychiatry, 14 , 11–19.

Middaugh, E., & Evans, C. (2018). Did you know?! … cultivating online public voice in youth. Theory and Research in Social Education, 46 (4), 574–602. https://doi.org/10.1080/00933104.2018.1474059 .

Monacis, L., de Palo, V., Griffiths, M. D., & Sinatra, M. (2017). Exploring individual differences in online addictions: The role of identity and attachment. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 15 (4), 853–868. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-017-9768-5 .

Moncur, W., Orzech, K. M., & Neville, F. G. (2016). Fraping, social norms and online representations of self. Computers in Human Behavior, 63 , 125–131. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.05.042 .

Moreno, M. A., Briner, L. R., Williams, A., Walker, L., & Christakis, D. A. (2009). Real use or “real cool”: Adolescents speak out about displayed alcohol references on social networking websites. Journal of Adolescent Health, 45 (4), 420–422.

Moreno, M. A., Kelleher, E., Ameenuddin, N., & Rastogi, S. (2014). Young adult females' views regarding online privacy protection at two time points. Journal of Adolescent Health, 55 (3), 347–351. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2014.03.005 .

Ngai, E. W., Moon, K.-L. K., Lam, S. S., Chin, E. S., & Tao, S. S. (2015). Social media models, technologies, and applications: An academic review and case study. Industrial Management & Data Systems, 115 (5), 769–802.

Ophir, Y., Asterhan, C. S. C., & Schwarz, B. B. (2017). Unfolding the notes from the walls: Adolescents’ depression manifestations on Facebook. Computers in Human Behavior, 72 , 96–107. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2017.02.013 .

Peck, C., Hewitt, K. K., Mullen, C. A., Lashley, C. A., Eldridge, J. A., & Douglas, T. R. M. (2015). Digital youth in brick and mortar schools: Examining the complex interplay of students, technology, education, and change. Teachers College Record, 117 (5), 1–40.

Perrin, A., & Anderson, M. (2019). Share of U.S. adults using social media, including Facebook, is mostly unchanged since 2018. In Washington, D.C.: Pew Research Center.

Peruta, A., & Shields, A. B. (2018). Marketing your university on social media: A content analysis of Facebook post types and formats. Journal of Marketing for Higher Education, 28 (2), 175–191. https://doi.org/10.1080/08841241.2018.1442896 .

Peters, M. D. J., Godfrey, C. M., Khalil, H., McInerney, P., Parker, D., & Soares, C. B. (2015). Guidance for conducting systematic scoping reviews. International Journal of Evidence-Based Healthcare, 13 (3), 141–146. https://doi.org/10.1097/xeb.0000000000000050 .

Qin, B., Strömberg, D., & Wu, Y. (2017). Why does China allow freer social media? Protests versus surveillance and propaganda. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 31 (1), 117–140. https://doi.org/10.1257/jep.31.1.117 .

Rainie, L., & Wellman, B. (2012). Networked: The new social operating system . Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.

Book   Google Scholar  

Ramesh Masthi, N. R., Pruthvi, S., & Phaneendra, M. S. (2018). A comparative study on social media usage and health status among students studying in pre-university colleges of urban Bengaluru. Indian Journal of Community Medicine, 43 (3), 180–184. https://doi.org/10.4103/ijcm.IJCM_285_17 .

Reynolds, R., & Chiu, M. M. (2016). Reducing digital divide effects through student engagement in coordinated game design, online resource use, and social computing activities in school. Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology, 67 (8), 1822–1835. https://doi.org/10.1002/asi .

Rosenberg, H., & Asterhan, C. S. C. (2018). “Whatsapp, teacher?” Student perspectives on teacher—students Whatsapp interactions in secondary schools. Journal of Information Technology Education-Research, 17 , 205–226. https://doi.org/10.28945/4081 .

Rosenberg, H., Ophir, Y., & Asterhan, C. S. C. (2018). A virtual safe zone: Teachers supporting teenage student resilience through social media in times of war. Teaching and Teacher Education, 73 , 35–42. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2018.03.011 .

Rutledge, S. A., Dennen, V. P., Bagdy, L. M., Rowlett, J. T., & Burnick, S. (2019). Exploring adolescent social media use in a high school: Tweeting teens in a bell schedule world. Teachers College Record Yearbook, 121 (14).

Sampasa-Kanyinga, H., & Chaput, J. P. (2016). Use of social networking sites and adherence to physical activity and screen time Recommendations in adolescents. Journal of Physical Activity and Health, 13 (5), 474–480. https://doi.org/10.1123/jpah.2015-0343 .

Shensa, A., Escobar-Viera, C. G., Sidani, J. E., Bowman, N. D., Marshal, M. P., & Primack, B. A. (2017). Problematic social media use and depressive symptoms among U.S. young adults: A nationally-representative study. Social Science and Medicine, 182 , 150–157. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2017.03.061 .

Sherman, L. E., Greenfield, P. M., Hernandez, L. M., & Dapretto, M. (2018). Peer influence via instagram: Effects on brain and behavior in adolescence and young adulthood. Child Development, 89 (1), 37–47. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12838 .

Silva, M., Matos, B. D. D., Ezequiel, O. D., Lucchetti, A. L. G., & Lucchetti, G. (2018). The use of smartphones in different phases of medical school and its relationship to internet addiction and learning approaches. Journal of Medical Systems, 42 (6), 106. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10916-018-0958-x .

Stoycheff, E. (2016). Under surveillance. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 93 (2), 296–311. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077699016630255 .

Szeto, W., van der Bent, A., Petty, C. R., Reich, J., Farraye, F. A., & Fishman, L. N. (2018). Use of social media for health-related tasks by adolescents with inflammatory bowel disease: A step in the pathway of transition. Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, 24 (6), 1114–1122. https://doi.org/10.1093/ibd/izy021 .

Tomczyk, L., & Selmanagic-Lizde, E. (2018). Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) among youth in Bosnia and Herzegovina—Scale and selected. Children and Youth Services Review, 88 , 541–549. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2018.03.048 .

Trust, T., Carpenter, J. P., & Krutka, D. G. (2017). Moving beyond silos: Professional learning networks in higher education. The Internet and Higher Education, 35 , 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2017.06.001 .

Trust, T., Carpenter, J. P., & Krutka, D. G. (2018). Leading by learning: Exploring the professional learning networks of instructional leaders. Educational Media International, 55 (2), 137–152. https://doi.org/10.1080/09523987.2018.1484041 .

Trust, T., Krutka, D. G., & Carpenter, J. P. (2016). “Together we are better”: Professional learning networks for teachers. Computers & Education, 102 , 15–34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2016.06.007 .

van der Merwe, P. (2017). Adolescent identities in the cyberworld. Journal of Psychology in Africa, 27 (2), 203–207. https://doi.org/10.1080/14330237.2017.1303129 .

Vasbo, K. B., Silseth, K., & Erstad, O. (2014). Being a learner using social media in school: The case of Space2cre8. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 58 (1), 110–126. https://doi.org/10.1080/00313831.2013.773555 .

Wells, D. M., Lehavot, K., & Isaac, M. L. (2015). Sounding off on social media: The ethics of patient storytelling in the modern era. Academic Medicine, 90 (8), 1015–1019. https://doi.org/10.1097/ACM.0000000000000668 .

Willis, L. D., & Exley, B. (2018). Using an online social media space to engage parents in student learning in the early-years: Enablers and impediments. Digital Education Review, 33 , 87–104.

Wise, A. F., & Schwarz, B. B. (2017). Visions of CSCL: eight provocations for the future of the field. International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, 12 (4), 423–467. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11412-017-9267-5 .

Woods, H. C., & Scott, H. (2016). #Sleepyteens: Social media use in adolescence is associated with poor sleep quality, anxiety, depression and low self-esteem. Journal of Adolescence, 51 , 41–49. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2016.05.008 .

Xie, W., & Kang, C. (2015). See you, see me: Teenagers’ self-disclosure and regret of posting on social network site. Computers in Human Behavior, 52 , 398–407. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2015.05.059 .

Yalçin, Y., Çolak, C., & Dennen, V. P. (in press). Trust, privacy, and self-disclosure on Facebook: Institutional implications of social media use among American and Turkish Students. In P. Nixon, V. P. Dennen, & R. Rawal (Eds.), Reshaping international teaching and learning: Universities in the information age . New York: Routledge.

Yarker, M. B., & Mesquita, M. D. S. (2018). Using social media to improve peer dialogue in an online course about regional climate modeling. International Journal of Online Pedagogy and Course Design, 8 (4), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.4018/ijopcd.2018100101 .

Zuccala, A. (2006). Modeling the invisible college. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 57 (2), 152–168.

Zucco, R., Lavano, F., Anfosso, R., Bianco, A., Pileggi, C., & Pavia, M. (2018). Internet and social media use for antibiotic-related information seeking: Findings from a survey among adult population in Italy. International Journal of Medical Informatics, 111 , 131–139. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2017.12.005 .

Zulkifli, J., Noel, B., Bennett, D., O'Flynn, S., & O'Tuathaigh, C. (2018). Medical students' perceptions of professional misconduct: relationship with typology and year of programme. Journal of Medical Ethics, 44 (2), 133. https://doi.org/10.1136/medethics-2016-104003 .

Download references

Author information

Authors and affiliations.

Instructional Systems & Learning Technologies, Florida State University, 1114 W. Call Street, Tallahasssee, FL, 32306, USA

Vanessa P. Dennen, Hajeen Choi & Kari Word

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Vanessa P. Dennen .

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest.

The authors confirm that they have no conflicts of interest.

Research involving human rights

This study does not involve human subjects, and was not funded by any agency.

Additional information

Publisher's note.

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Dennen, V.P., Choi, H. & Word, K. Social media, teenagers, and the school context: a scoping review of research in education and related fields. Education Tech Research Dev 68 , 1635–1658 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-020-09796-z

Download citation

Published : 25 June 2020

Issue Date : August 2020

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-020-09796-z

Share this article

Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:

Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative

• Scoping review
• Social media
• Young adults
• Find a journal
• Publish with us
• Track your research

• Service Units
• Project Leaders
• Books and Chapters
• Journal Articles
• Working Papers
• Other Publications
• GRADUATE OPPORTUNITIES
• For Researchers
• For Educators
• For Graduate Students
• For Funders
• For Community
• For Employees
• Wisconsin Ideas in Education Series
• Carl A. Grant
• Other Series
• Poster Fair
• Special Events
• News from WCER
• Media Mentions
• Employment Opportunities

Benefits and Drawbacks of Social Media in Education

October 15, 2011

Every day, about 250 million people log in to Facebook.

Twitter has 15 million regular users; they send 65 million messages each day.

People watch more than two billion video clips on YouTube daily. Every hour, users upload an average of 24 hours of video content.

Every day, more than 90 percent of college students visit a social network site.

That’s a lot of information bombarding students. Trying to keep up with it all can change the way the brain functions. Is this good or bad?

Both. WCER researcher Mark Connolly acknowledges that these social media show value in educational settings—as long as they are used prudently. Many have pointed to the educational benefits of these media (also called Web 2.0). Social media tools and networking sites encourage students to engage with one another and to express and share their creativity.

Connolly suggests an additional benefit: establishing enduring relationships with real people. This means going beyond seeing others simply as peers who trade digital content. For example, connecting with fellow dorm residents through Facebook can help a student overcome the kind of isolation that otherwise might lead her to leave school. A Twitter account can provide a shy student with information about events that facilitates face-to-face encounters with other students. Such personal interactions are vital to creating and sustaining a sense of belonging.

These relationships can be fostered on the community level, too. For example, Chicago’s DePaul University sponsors a “This is DePaul” contest for students to contribute short YouTube videos that best capture the DePaul experience. In 2009, the winning videos drew nearly 20,000 viewers. Social network sites also can help students develop leadership skills, from low-level planning and organizing, to activities that promote social change and democratic engagement.

The Drawbacks of Social Media

Along with the benefits, Connolly cautions that students who use social networking tools might pay significant hidden cognitive costs. Facebook, Google and other web services simultaneously seize and fragment our attention. They can subvert higher-order reasoning processes, including the kind of focus, concentration and persistence necessary for critical thinking and intellectual development. Some researchers have correlated heavy Internet use with greater impulsivity, less patience, less tenacity and weaker critical thinking skills. The need to rapidly shift from object to object online can weaken students’ ability to control their attention. Prolonged Internet use exposes students to interactive, repetitive and addictive stimuli that produce permanent changes in brain structure and function. The more one uses the Internet and social media, the better the brain can skim and scan. But research suggests that these gains degrade the capacity for concentration, reasoning and reflection—in fact the very sort of critical thinking and evidence-based reasoning needed to honestly appraise the full costs of using social media.

Considerations in the Educational Use of Social Media

Students must learn to distinguish the skill needed to locate information online from the ability to  understand  that information. Using social media to cultivate and demonstrate deep learning is possible, but that requires overcoming the persistence of distraction, the surfeit of irrelevant information and the temptation to wander.

Students can develop a capacity for practical reasoning when using social media. Educators and students should have multiple, purposeful discussions about social media’s pros and cons. Social media can enhance and impede student learning, and educators can use realistic case studies to help students identify trade-offs. For example, the use of social media in educational settings may incorrectly suggest that learning should be easy and quick. If so, students should be shown the value of reinvesting the time and effort saved by technology into higher-order tasks that really matter to their learning, such as writing a complex argument, reading difficult texts and debating ideas with others.

Social technologies are here to stay. Connolly says that it is important to help students learn how to use social media in an instrumental way, learn how to think deliberately about their use and consider the sorts of outcomes for which using social media are proper. 

In the real world, students will find themselves facing a difficult situation involving social media that rules alone cannot resolve. Connolly says the problem will require their best judgment—a kind of practical wisdom that cannot be taught, but instead is learned through practice accompanied by guidance and support.

Knowing when, where and with whom to use social media, Connolly concludes, may be the most important learning outcome of all. 

This material appears in revised form as a chapter in the book, Contested Issues in Student Affairs: Diverse Perspectives and Respectful Dialogue , edited by Peter M. Magolda and Marcia B. Baxter Magolda (Stylus Press, 2011).

• WORK WITH US

Feedback, questions or accessibility issues? Contact Us!

Sign up for our monthly newsletter

School of Education

Copyright © 2023 Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System

Essay on Social Media for School Students and Children

500+ words essay on social media.

Social media is a tool that is becoming quite popular these days because of its user-friendly features. Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and more are giving people a chance to connect with each other across distances. In other words, the whole world is at our fingertips all thanks to social media. The youth is especially one of the most dominant users of social media. All this makes you wonder that something so powerful and with such a massive reach cannot be all good. Like how there are always two sides to a coin, the same goes for social media. Subsequently, different people have different opinions on this debatable topic. So, in this essay on Social Media, we will see the advantages and disadvantages of social media.

Advantages of Social Media

When we look at the positive aspect of social media, we find numerous advantages. The most important being a great device for education . All the information one requires is just a click away. Students can educate themselves on various topics using social media.

Moreover, live lectures are now possible because of social media. You can attend a lecture happening in America while sitting in India.

Furthermore, as more and more people are distancing themselves from newspapers, they are depending on social media for news. You are always updated on the latest happenings of the world through it. A person becomes more socially aware of the issues of the world.

In addition, it strengthens bonds with your loved ones. Distance is not a barrier anymore because of social media. For instance, you can easily communicate with your friends and relatives overseas.

Most importantly, it also provides a great platform for young budding artists to showcase their talent for free. You can get great opportunities for employment through social media too.

Another advantage definitely benefits companies who wish to promote their brands. Social media has become a hub for advertising and offers you great opportunities for connecting with the customer.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Disadvantages of Social Media

Despite having such unique advantages, social media is considered to be one of the most harmful elements of society. If the use of social media is not monitored, it can lead to grave consequences.

Thus, the sharing on social media especially by children must be monitored at all times. Next up is the addition of social media which is quite common amongst the youth.

This addiction hampers with the academic performance of a student as they waste their time on social media instead of studying. Social media also creates communal rifts. Fake news is spread with the use of it, which poisons the mind of peace-loving citizens.

In short, surely social media has both advantages and disadvantages. But, it all depends on the user at the end. The youth must particularly create a balance between their academic performances, physical activities, and social media. Excess use of anything is harmful and the same thing applies to social media. Therefore, we must strive to live a satisfying life with the right balance.

FAQs on Social Media

Q.1 Is social media beneficial? If yes, then how?

A.1 Social media is quite beneficial. Social Media offers information, news, educational material, a platform for talented youth and brands.

Q.2 What is a disadvantage of Social Media?

A.2 Social media invades your privacy. It makes you addicted and causes health problems. It also results in cyberbullying and scams as well as communal hatred.

Customize your course in 30 seconds

Which class are you in.

• Travelling Essay
• Picnic Essay
• Our Country Essay
• My Parents Essay
• Essay on Favourite Personality
• Essay on Memorable Day of My Life
• Essay on Knowledge is Power
• Essay on Gurpurab
• Essay on My Favourite Season
• Essay on Types of Sports

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Download the App

Feb 15, 2023

6 Example Essays on Social Media | Advantages, Effects, and Outlines

Got an essay assignment about the effects of social media we got you covered check out our examples and outlines below.

Social media has become one of our society's most prominent ways of communication and information sharing in a very short time. It has changed how we communicate and has given us a platform to express our views and opinions and connect with others. It keeps us informed about the world around us. Social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn have brought individuals from all over the world together, breaking down geographical borders and fostering a genuinely global community.

However, social media comes with its difficulties. With the rise of misinformation, cyberbullying, and privacy problems, it's critical to utilize these platforms properly and be aware of the risks. Students in the academic world are frequently assigned essays about the impact of social media on numerous elements of our lives, such as relationships, politics, and culture. These essays necessitate a thorough comprehension of the subject matter, critical thinking, and the ability to synthesize and convey information clearly and succinctly.

But where do you begin? It can be challenging to know where to start with so much information available. Jenni.ai comes in handy here. Jenni.ai is an AI application built exclusively for students to help them write essays more quickly and easily. Jenni.ai provides students with inspiration and assistance on how to approach their essays with its enormous database of sample essays on a variety of themes, including social media. Jenni.ai is the solution you've been looking for if you're experiencing writer's block or need assistance getting started.

So, whether you're a student looking to better your essay writing skills or want to remain up to date on the latest social media advancements, Jenni.ai is here to help. Jenni.ai is the ideal tool for helping you write your finest essay ever, thanks to its simple design, an extensive database of example essays, and cutting-edge AI technology. So, why delay? Sign up for a free trial of Jenni.ai today and begin exploring the worlds of social networking and essay writing!

Want to learn how to write an argumentative essay? Check out these inspiring examples!

We will provide various examples of social media essays so you may get a feel for the genre.

6 Examples of Social Media Essays

Here are 6 examples of Social Media Essays:

The Impact of Social Media on Relationships and Communication

Introduction:.

The way we share information and build relationships has evolved as a direct result of the prevalence of social media in our daily lives. The influence of social media on interpersonal connections and conversation is a hot topic. Although social media has many positive effects, such as bringing people together regardless of physical proximity and making communication quicker and more accessible, it also has a dark side that can affect interpersonal connections and dialogue.

Positive Effects:

Connecting People Across Distances

One of social media's most significant benefits is its ability to connect individuals across long distances. People can use social media platforms to interact and stay in touch with friends and family far away. People can now maintain intimate relationships with those they care about, even when physically separated.

Improved Communication Speed and Efficiency

Additionally, the proliferation of social media sites has accelerated and simplified communication. Thanks to instant messaging, users can have short, timely conversations rather than lengthy ones via email. Furthermore, social media facilitates group communication, such as with classmates or employees, by providing a unified forum for such activities.

Negative Effects:

Decreased Face-to-Face Communication

The decline in in-person interaction is one of social media's most pernicious consequences on interpersonal connections and dialogue. People's reliance on digital communication over in-person contact has increased along with the popularity of social media. Face-to-face interaction has suffered as a result, which has adverse effects on interpersonal relationships and the development of social skills.

Decreased Emotional Intimacy

Another adverse effect of social media on relationships and communication is decreased emotional intimacy. Digital communication lacks the nonverbal cues and facial expressions critical in building emotional connections with others. This can make it more difficult for people to develop close and meaningful relationships, leading to increased loneliness and isolation.

Increased Conflict and Miscommunication

Finally, social media can also lead to increased conflict and miscommunication. The anonymity and distance provided by digital communication can lead to misunderstandings and hurtful comments that might not have been made face-to-face. Additionally, social media can provide a platform for cyberbullying , which can have severe consequences for the victim's mental health and well-being.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, the impact of social media on relationships and communication is a complex issue with both positive and negative effects. While social media platforms offer many benefits, such as connecting people across distances and enabling faster and more accessible communication, they also have a dark side that can negatively affect relationships and communication. It is up to individuals to use social media responsibly and to prioritize in-person communication in their relationships and interactions with others.

The Role of Social Media in the Spread of Misinformation and Fake News

Social media has revolutionized the way information is shared and disseminated. However, the ease and speed at which data can be spread on social media also make it a powerful tool for spreading misinformation and fake news. Misinformation and fake news can seriously affect public opinion, influence political decisions, and even cause harm to individuals and communities.

The Pervasiveness of Misinformation and Fake News on Social Media

Misinformation and fake news are prevalent on social media platforms, where they can spread quickly and reach a large audience. This is partly due to the way social media algorithms work, which prioritizes content likely to generate engagement, such as sensational or controversial stories. As a result, false information can spread rapidly and be widely shared before it is fact-checked or debunked.

The Influence of Social Media on Public Opinion

Social media can significantly impact public opinion, as people are likelier to believe the information they see shared by their friends and followers. This can lead to a self-reinforcing cycle, where misinformation and fake news are spread and reinforced, even in the face of evidence to the contrary.

The Challenge of Correcting Misinformation and Fake News

Correcting misinformation and fake news on social media can be a challenging task. This is partly due to the speed at which false information can spread and the difficulty of reaching the same audience exposed to the wrong information in the first place. Additionally, some individuals may be resistant to accepting correction, primarily if the incorrect information supports their beliefs or biases.

In conclusion, the function of social media in disseminating misinformation and fake news is complex and urgent. While social media has revolutionized the sharing of information, it has also made it simpler for false information to propagate and be widely believed. Individuals must be accountable for the information they share and consume, and social media firms must take measures to prevent the spread of disinformation and fake news on their platforms.

The Effects of Social Media on Mental Health and Well-Being

Social media has become an integral part of modern life, with billions of people around the world using platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to stay connected with others and access information. However, while social media has many benefits, it can also negatively affect mental health and well-being.

Comparison and Low Self-Esteem

One of the key ways that social media can affect mental health is by promoting feelings of comparison and low self-esteem. People often present a curated version of their lives on social media, highlighting their successes and hiding their struggles. This can lead others to compare themselves unfavorably, leading to feelings of inadequacy and low self-esteem.

Cyberbullying and Online Harassment

Another way that social media can negatively impact mental health is through cyberbullying and online harassment. Social media provides a platform for anonymous individuals to harass and abuse others, leading to feelings of anxiety, fear, and depression.

Social Isolation

Despite its name, social media can also contribute to feelings of isolation. At the same time, people may have many online friends but need more meaningful in-person connections and support. This can lead to feelings of loneliness and depression.

Addiction and Overuse

Finally, social media can be addictive, leading to overuse and negatively impacting mental health and well-being. People may spend hours each day scrolling through their feeds, neglecting other important areas of their lives, such as work, family, and self-care.

In sum, social media has positive and negative consequences on one's psychological and emotional well-being. Realizing this, and taking measures like reducing one's social media use, reaching out to loved ones for help, and prioritizing one's well-being, are crucial. In addition, it's vital that social media giants take ownership of their platforms and actively encourage excellent mental health and well-being.

The Use of Social Media in Political Activism and Social Movements

Social media has recently become increasingly crucial in political action and social movements. Platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram have given people new ways to express themselves, organize protests, and raise awareness about social and political issues.

Raising Awareness and Mobilizing Action

One of the most important uses of social media in political activity and social movements has been to raise awareness about important issues and mobilize action. Hashtags such as #MeToo and #BlackLivesMatter, for example, have brought attention to sexual harassment and racial injustice, respectively. Similarly, social media has been used to organize protests and other political actions, allowing people to band together and express themselves on a bigger scale.

Connecting with like-minded individuals

A second method in that social media has been utilized in political activity and social movements is to unite like-minded individuals. Through social media, individuals can join online groups, share knowledge and resources, and work with others to accomplish shared objectives. This has been especially significant for geographically scattered individuals or those without access to traditional means of political organizing.

Challenges and Limitations

As a vehicle for political action and social movements, social media has faced many obstacles and restrictions despite its many advantages. For instance, the propagation of misinformation and fake news on social media can impede attempts to disseminate accurate and reliable information. In addition, social media corporations have been condemned for censorship and insufficient protection of user rights.

In conclusion, social media has emerged as a potent instrument for political activism and social movements, giving voice to previously unheard communities and galvanizing support for change. Social media presents many opportunities for communication and collaboration. Still, users and institutions must be conscious of the risks and limitations of these tools to promote their responsible and productive usage.

The Potential Privacy Concerns Raised by Social Media Use and Data Collection Practices

With billions of users each day on sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, social media has ingrained itself into every aspect of our lives. While these platforms offer a straightforward method to communicate with others and exchange information, they also raise significant concerns over data collecting and privacy. This article will examine the possible privacy issues posed by social media use and data-gathering techniques.

Data Collection and Sharing

The gathering and sharing of personal data are significant privacy issues brought up by social media use. Social networking sites gather user data, including details about their relationships, hobbies, and routines. This information is made available to third-party businesses for various uses, such as marketing and advertising. This can lead to serious concerns about who has access to and uses our personal information.

Lack of Control Over Personal Information

The absence of user control over personal information is a significant privacy issue brought up by social media usage. Social media makes it challenging to limit who has access to and how data is utilized once it has been posted. Sensitive information may end up being extensively disseminated and may be used maliciously as a result.

Personalized Marketing

Social media companies utilize the information they gather about users to target them with adverts relevant to their interests and usage patterns. Although this could be useful, it might also cause consumers to worry about their privacy since they might feel that their personal information is being used without their permission. Furthermore, there are issues with the integrity of the data being used to target users and the possibility of prejudice based on individual traits.

Government Surveillance

Using social media might spark worries about government surveillance. There are significant concerns regarding privacy and free expression when governments in some nations utilize social media platforms to follow and monitor residents.

In conclusion, social media use raises significant concerns regarding data collecting and privacy. While these platforms make it easy to interact with people and exchange information, they also gather a lot of personal information, which raises questions about who may access it and how it will be used. Users should be aware of these privacy issues and take precautions to safeguard their personal information, such as exercising caution when choosing what details to disclose on social media and keeping their information sharing with other firms to a minimum.

The Ethical and Privacy Concerns Surrounding Social Media Use And Data Collection

Our use of social media to communicate with loved ones, acquire information, and even conduct business has become a crucial part of our everyday lives. The extensive use of social media does, however, raise some ethical and privacy issues that must be resolved. The influence of social media use and data collecting on user rights, the accountability of social media businesses, and the need for improved regulation are all topics that will be covered in this article.

Effect on Individual Privacy:

Social networking sites gather tons of personal data from their users, including delicate information like search history, location data, and even health data. Each user's detailed profile may be created with this data and sold to advertising or used for other reasons. Concerns regarding the privacy of personal information might arise because social media businesses can use this data to target users with customized adverts.

Additionally, individuals might need to know how much their personal information is being gathered and exploited. Data breaches or the unauthorized sharing of personal information with other parties may result in instances where sensitive information is exposed. Users should be aware of the privacy rules of social media firms and take precautions to secure their data.

Responsibility of Social Media Companies:

Social media firms should ensure that they responsibly and ethically gather and use user information. This entails establishing strong security measures to safeguard sensitive information and ensuring users are informed of what information is being collected and how it is used.

Many social media businesses, nevertheless, have come under fire for not upholding these obligations. For instance, the Cambridge Analytica incident highlighted how Facebook users' personal information was exploited for political objectives without their knowledge. This demonstrates the necessity of social media corporations being held responsible for their deeds and ensuring that they are safeguarding the security and privacy of their users.

Better Regulation Is Needed

There is a need for tighter regulation in this field, given the effect, social media has on individual privacy as well as the obligations of social media firms. The creation of laws and regulations that ensure social media companies are gathering and using user information ethically and responsibly, as well as making sure users are aware of their rights and have the ability to control the information that is being collected about them, are all part of this.

Additionally, legislation should ensure that social media businesses are held responsible for their behavior, for example, by levying fines for data breaches or the unauthorized use of personal data. This will provide social media businesses with a significant incentive to prioritize their users' privacy and security and ensure they are upholding their obligations.

In conclusion, social media has fundamentally changed how we engage and communicate with one another, but this increased convenience also raises several ethical and privacy issues. Essential concerns that need to be addressed include the effect of social media on individual privacy, the accountability of social media businesses, and the requirement for greater regulation to safeguard user rights. We can make everyone's online experience safer and more secure by looking more closely at these issues.

In conclusion, social media is a complex and multifaceted topic that has recently captured the world's attention. With its ever-growing influence on our lives, it's no surprise that it has become a popular subject for students to explore in their writing. Whether you are writing an argumentative essay on the impact of social media on privacy, a persuasive essay on the role of social media in politics, or a descriptive essay on the changes social media has brought to the way we communicate, there are countless angles to approach this subject.

However, writing a comprehensive and well-researched essay on social media can be daunting. It requires a thorough understanding of the topic and the ability to articulate your ideas clearly and concisely. This is where Jenni.ai comes in. Our AI-powered tool is designed to help students like you save time and energy and focus on what truly matters - your education. With Jenni.ai , you'll have access to a wealth of examples and receive personalized writing suggestions and feedback.

Whether you're a student who's just starting your writing journey or looking to perfect your craft, Jenni.ai has everything you need to succeed. Our tool provides you with the necessary resources to write with confidence and clarity, no matter your experience level. You'll be able to experiment with different styles, explore new ideas , and refine your writing skills.

So why waste your time and energy struggling to write an essay on your own when you can have Jenni.ai by your side? Sign up for our free trial today and experience the difference for yourself! With Jenni.ai, you'll have the resources you need to write confidently, clearly, and creatively. Get started today and see just how easy and efficient writing can be!

Try Jenni for free today

Create your first piece of content with Jenni today and never look back

30,000+ students realised their study abroad dream with us. Take the first step today

Meet top uk universities from the comfort of your home, here’s your new year gift, one app for all your, study abroad needs, start your journey, track your progress, grow with the community and so much more.

Verification Code

An OTP has been sent to your registered mobile no. Please verify

Thanks for your comment !

Our team will review it before it's shown to our readers.

• School Education /

Essay on Advantages And Disadvantages of Social Media

• Updated on  
• May 4, 2024

‘Social media is not about the exploitation of technology but service to community.’ – Simon Mainwaring. 

Essay on Social Media: According to a 2022 study, an average Indian user on the internet spent 194 minutes daily on social media platforms . Social Media has become an integral part of our lives, sometimes very informative and a great tool for education. On the other hand, there are several disadvantages of social media which make us vulnerable to the content offered on these platforms. Every minute we spend on social media scrolling people and their content can have a lasting impact on our mental health. In this essay on the advantages and disadvantages of social media , we will try to cover all the domains of online platforms.

Table of Contents

• 1 What is Social Media?
• 2.1 Advantages of Social Media
• 2.2 Disadvantages of Social Media
• 3 Short Essay on Advantages and Disadvantages of Social Media
• 4 Social Media Impact on Students: Advantages and Disadvantages
• 5 Paragraph on Social Media

Quick Read: How to Calculate Percentage in ICSE Board Class 10?

What is Social Media?

Social media are online platforms and applications that allow us to create and share content, and participate in social networking activities. These platforms facilitate the creation and exchange of user-generated content, such as text posts, images, videos, and other multimedia, enabling individuals and groups to connect, communicate , and interact with each other in virtual communities and networks.

Social media platforms have become essential tools for businesses, organizations, and individuals to promote their products, services, and personal brands, as well as to connect with their audiences and communities.

Also Read: Speech on Importance of Social Media

Essay on Advantages and Disadvantages of Social Media in 300 Words

All the hours we spend on social media offer us exposure to the latest trends and activities across the globe. Our traditional way of communication and sharing information has been revolutionized by social media. Everybody agrees that social media platforms offer us information and lessons that we might not be able to grasp from books or experts. But the scale or balance of social media is tilted towards the disadvantages it offers us. This essay on advantages and disadvantages of social media highlights all the aspects.

Advantages of Social Media

• The advantages of social media include easy and instantaneous communication. It helps people connect with friends, family, and colleagues regardless of geographical barriers.
• It allows users to share their thoughts, experiences, and ideas with a broader audience, fostering a sense of community and belonging.
• Social media serves as a platform for networking and professional growth, enabling individuals to connect with potential employers, clients, and business partners.
• It plays a crucial role in spreading awareness and information. It disseminates news, promotes social causes, and raises awareness about important issues.

Disadvantages of Social Media

With all the advantages of social media listed above, it also brings certain disadvantages.

• Misleading and fake information is one of the major disadvantages of social media. This can have serious consequences, including the spread of misinformation during crises or the manipulation of public opinion.
• Excessive use of social media can lead to addiction and negative impacts on mental health.
• Constant exposure to curated and often idealized versions of others’ lives can contribute to feelings of inadequacy and low self-esteem.
• It can also lead to decreased productivity and social isolation, as some users may prioritize virtual interactions over real-life relationships.
• Another concern is privacy issues and data breaches. We as users share personal information, making us vulnerable to data breaches and invasions of our privacy. This can lead to identity theft and other cybercrimes, posing significant risks to users’ security and well-being.

Also Read: Essay on Effects and Impact of Social Networking Sites in 700+ Words

Short Essay on Advantages and Disadvantages of Social Media

Also Read: Essay on Media: Short and Long Sample Essays

Social Media Impact on Students: Advantages and Disadvantages

Social media has had a big impact on reducing the ability of children to pay attention for long periods of time. The constant switching between different applications, videos, games, and messages trains the brains of young minds to have a short focus.

The youngsters grow accustomed to the quick bursts of novelty and the dopamine that social media provides them. Their minds get restless and easily get bored when they are asked to concentrate on something for more than a few minutes at a time. In the future, continuous reading, lectures, or work will become challenging for them.

The nature of multimedia sites like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube overexcites the brains of children. Rapid receiving of fire streams of fresh content is designed to grab and keep their attention at all costs. All this overloads the senses and cognitive abilities of young minds.

Further, the apps also encourage endless scrolling and switching of content by auto-playing the next video or suggesting a new watch. Children develop the habit of constantly shifting their focus instead of concentrating on a single task.

However, social media also offers some benefits to children. It helps the kids generate new ideas and perspectives worldwide. It allows the young ones to learn about trending events and issues that society cares about. There are numerous tech videos that are created with the concept of being fun, engaging, and easy to learn simultaneously.

Further, social media also provides creative outlets for the children to express themselves through photos, videos, writing, and art. It allows them to develop interests and easily connect with people around them who share their passions.

As it said, excess of everything is bad; therefore, parents and teachers must guide children on the balanced use of social media. They should teach young minds to promote the habits of single-tasking and good focus. If it is not done, then the distracting nature of applications will increase the reduction in attentiveness.

In conclusion, social media comes with predominantly negative conditions as well as some positive sides. Proper guidance and a correct learning approach will help the child differentiate between the two in the correct manner and will help increase their ability to focus on whatever they do.

Also Read: Essay on Social Media

Paragraph on Social Media

Also Read: Social Media Bane Or Boon? Short and Long Speech for Students

Ans. Here are some of the popular advantages of social media: Enhanced Connectivity with friends, family, and acquaintances from all around the world; Dissemination of information and raising awareness about various issues; Space for professionals to connect with like-minded individuals; It offers businesses a cost-effective way to promote their products, etc.

Ans. Here are some of the disadvantages of social media: Cybercriminals carry out various online scams and phishing attacks; Addiction and Time Wastage; Negative Impact on Mental Health, etc.

Ans. To write an essay on the advantages and disadvantages of social media, you need to describe what social media is, and how it has revolutionized our ways of communication, disseminates news, promotes social causes, and raises awareness about important issues. Apart from its advantages, describe its disadvantages, such as security issues, cyberbullying and online harassment, addition and time wastage, etc.

Explore More Interesting Essay Topics

For more information on such interesting topics, visit our essay writing page and follow Leverage Edu .

Shiva Tyagi

With an experience of over a year, I've developed a passion for writing blogs on wide range of topics. I am mostly inspired from topics related to social and environmental fields, where you come up with a positive outcome.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Contact no. *

Connect With Us

30,000+ students realised their study abroad dream with us. Take the first step today.

Resend OTP in

Need help with?

Study abroad.

UK, Canada, US & More

IELTS, GRE, GMAT & More

Scholarship, Loans & Forex

Country Preference

New Zealand

Which English test are you planning to take?

Which academic test are you planning to take.

Not Sure yet

When are you planning to take the exam?

Already booked my exam slot

Within 2 Months

Want to learn about the test

Which Degree do you wish to pursue?

When do you want to start studying abroad.

January 2024

September 2024

What is your budget to study abroad?

How would you describe this article ?

Please rate this article

We would like to hear more.

Have something on your mind?

Make your study abroad dream a reality in January 2022 with

India's Biggest Virtual University Fair

Essex Direct Admission Day

Why attend .

Don't Miss Out

An official website of the United States government

The .gov means it’s official. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

The site is secure. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

• Publications
• Account settings

Preview improvements coming to the PMC website in October 2024. Learn More or Try it out now .

• Advanced Search
• Journal List
• HHS Author Manuscripts

Social Media and Mental Health: Benefits, Risks, and Opportunities for Research and Practice

John a. naslund.

a Department of Global Health and Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA

Ameya Bondre

b CareNX Innovations, Mumbai, India

John Torous

c Department of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA

Kelly A. Aschbrenner

d Department of Psychiatry, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, NH

Social media platforms are popular venues for sharing personal experiences, seeking information, and offering peer-to-peer support among individuals living with mental illness. With significant shortfalls in the availability, quality, and reach of evidence-based mental health services across the United States and globally, social media platforms may afford new opportunities to bridge this gap. However, caution is warranted, as numerous studies highlight risks of social media use for mental health. In this commentary, we consider the role of social media as a potentially viable intervention platform for offering support to persons with mental disorders, promoting engagement and retention in care, and enhancing existing mental health services. Specifically, we summarize current research on the use of social media among mental health service users, and early efforts using social media for the delivery of evidence-based programs. We also review the risks, potential harms, and necessary safety precautions with using social media for mental health. To conclude, we explore opportunities using data science and machine learning, for example by leveraging social media for detecting mental disorders and developing predictive models aimed at characterizing the aetiology and progression of mental disorders. These various efforts using social media, as summarized in this commentary, hold promise for improving the lives of individuals living with mental disorders.

Introduction

Social media has become a prominent fixture in the lives of many individuals facing the challenges of mental illness. Social media refers broadly to web and mobile platforms that allow individuals to connect with others within a virtual network (such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, or LinkedIn), where they can share, co-create, or exchange various forms of digital content, including information, messages, photos, or videos ( Ahmed, Ahmad, Ahmad, & Zakaria, 2019 ). Studies have reported that individuals living with a range of mental disorders, including depression, psychotic disorders, or other severe mental illnesses, use social media platforms at comparable rates as the general population, with use ranging from about 70% among middle-age and older individuals, to upwards of 97% among younger individuals ( Aschbrenner, Naslund, Grinley, et al., 2018 ; M. L. Birnbaum, Rizvi, Correll, Kane, & Confino, 2017 ; Brunette et al., 2019 ; Naslund, Aschbrenner, & Bartels, 2016 ). Other exploratory studies have found that many of these individuals with mental illness appear to turn to social media to share their personal experiences, seek information about their mental health and treatment options, and give and receive support from others facing similar mental health challenges ( Bucci, Schwannauer, & Berry, 2019 ; Naslund, Aschbrenner, Marsch, & Bartels, 2016b ).

Across the United States and globally, very few people living with mental illness have access to adequate mental health services ( Patel et al., 2018 ). The wide reach and near ubiquitous use of social media platforms may afford novel opportunities to address these shortfalls in existing mental health care, by enhancing the quality, availability, and reach of services. Recent studies have explored patterns of social media use, impact of social media use on mental health and wellbeing, and the potential to leverage the popularity and interactive features of social media to enhance the delivery of interventions. However, there remains uncertainty regarding the risks and potential harms of social media for mental health ( Orben & Przybylski, 2019 ), and how best to weigh these concerns against potential benefits.

In this commentary, we summarized current research on the use of social media among individuals with mental illness, with consideration of the impact of social media on mental wellbeing, as well as early efforts using social media for delivery of evidence-based programs for addressing mental health problems. We searched for recent peer reviewed publications in Medline and Google Scholar using the search terms “mental health” or “mental illness” and “social media”, and searched the reference lists of recent reviews and other relevant studies. We reviewed the risks, potential harms, and necessary safety precautions with using social media for mental health. Overall, our goal was to consider the role of social media as a potentially viable intervention platform for offering support to persons with mental disorders, promoting engagement and retention in care, and enhancing existing mental health services, while balancing the need for safety. Given this broad objective, we did not perform a systematic search of the literature and we did not apply specific inclusion criteria based on study design or type of mental disorder.

Social Media Use and Mental Health

In 2020, there are an estimated 3.8 billion social media users worldwide, representing half the global population ( We Are Social, 2020 ). Recent studies have shown that individuals with mental disorders are increasingly gaining access to and using mobile devices, such as smartphones ( Firth et al., 2015 ; Glick, Druss, Pina, Lally, & Conde, 2016 ; Torous, Chan, et al., 2014 ; Torous, Friedman, & Keshavan, 2014 ). Similarly, there is mounting evidence showing high rates of social media use among individuals with mental disorders, including studies looking at engagement with these popular platforms across diverse settings and disorder types. Initial studies from 2015 found that nearly half of a sample of psychiatric patients were social media users, with greater use among younger individuals ( Trefflich, Kalckreuth, Mergl, & Rummel-Kluge, 2015 ), while 47% of inpatients and outpatients with schizophrenia reported using social media, of which 79% reported at least once-a-week usage of social media websites ( Miller, Stewart, Schrimsher, Peeples, & Buckley, 2015 ). Rates of social media use among psychiatric populations have increased in recent years, as reflected in a study with data from 2017 showing comparable rates of social media use (approximately 70%) among individuals with serious mental illness in treatment as compared to low-income groups from the general population ( Brunette et al., 2019 ).

Similarly, among individuals with serious mental illness receiving community-based mental health services, a recent study found equivalent rates of social media use as the general population, even exceeding 70% of participants ( Naslund, Aschbrenner, & Bartels, 2016 ). Comparable findings were demonstrated among middle-age and older individuals with mental illness accessing services at peer support agencies, where 72% of respondents reported using social media ( Aschbrenner, Naslund, Grinley, et al., 2018 ). Similar results, with 68% of those with first episode psychosis using social media daily were reported in another study ( Abdel-Baki, Lal, D.-Charron, Stip, & Kara, 2017 ).

Individuals who self-identified as having a schizophrenia spectrum disorder responded to a survey shared through the National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI), and reported that visiting social media sites was one of their most common activities when using digital devices, taking up roughly 2 hours each day ( Gay, Torous, Joseph, Pandya, & Duckworth, 2016 ). For adolescents and young adults ages 12 to 21 with psychotic disorders and mood disorders, over 97% reported using social media, with average use exceeding 2.5 hours per day ( M. L. Birnbaum et al., 2017 ). Similarly, in a sample of adolescents ages 13-18 recruited from community mental health centers, 98% reported using social media, with YouTube as the most popular platform, followed by Instagram and Snapchat ( Aschbrenner et al., 2019 ).

Research has also explored the motivations for using social media as well as the perceived benefits of interacting on these platforms among individuals with mental illness. In the sections that follow (see Table 1 for a summary), we consider three potentially unique features of interacting and connecting with others on social media that may offer benefits for individuals living with mental illness. These include: 1) Facilitate social interaction; 2) Access to a peer support network; and 3) Promote engagement and retention in services.

Summary of potential benefits and challenges with social media for mental health

Facilitate Social Interaction

Social media platforms offer near continuous opportunities to connect and interact with others, regardless of time of day or geographic location. This on demand ease of communication may be especially important for facilitating social interaction among individuals with mental disorders experiencing difficulties interacting in face-to-face settings. For example, impaired social functioning is a common deficit in schizophrenia spectrum disorders, and social media may facilitate communication and interacting with others for these individuals ( Torous & Keshavan, 2016 ). This was suggested in one study where participants with schizophrenia indicated that social media helped them to interact and socialize more easily ( Miller et al., 2015 ). Like other online communication, the ability to connect with others anonymously may be an important feature of social media, especially for individuals living with highly stigmatizing health conditions ( Berger, Wagner, & Baker, 2005 ), such as serious mental disorders ( Highton-Williamson, Priebe, & Giacco, 2015 ).

Studies have found that individuals with serious mental disorders ( Spinzy, Nitzan, Becker, Bloch, & Fennig, 2012 ) as well as young adults with mental illness ( Gowen, Deschaine, Gruttadara, & Markey, 2012 ) appear to form online relationships and connect with others on social media as often as social media users from the general population. This is an important observation because individuals living with serious mental disorders typically have few social contacts in the offline world, and also experience high rates of loneliness ( Badcock et al., 2015 ; Giacco, Palumbo, Strappelli, Catapano, & Priebe, 2016 ). Among individuals receiving publicly funded mental health services who use social media, nearly half (47%) reported using these platforms at least weekly to feel less alone ( Brusilovskiy, Townley, Snethen, & Salzer, 2016 ). In another study of young adults with serious mental illness, most indicated that they used social media to help feel less isolated ( Gowen et al., 2012 ). Interestingly, more frequent use of social media among a sample of individuals with serious mental illness was associated with greater community participation, measured as participation in shopping, work, religious activities or visiting friends and family, as well as greater civic engagement, reflected as voting in local elections ( Brusilovskiy et al., 2016 ).

Emerging research also shows that young people with moderate to severe depressive symptoms appear to prefer communicating on social media rather than in-person ( Rideout & Fox, 2018 ), while other studies have found that some individuals may prefer to seek help for mental health concerns online rather than through in-person encounters ( Batterham & Calear, 2017 ). In a qualitative study, participants with schizophrenia described greater anonymity, the ability to discover that other people have experienced similar health challenges, and reducing fears through greater access to information as important motivations for using the Internet to seek mental health information ( Schrank, Sibitz, Unger, & Amering, 2010 ). Because social media does not require the immediate responses necessary in face-to-face communication, it may overcome deficits with social interaction due to psychotic symptoms that typically adversely affect face-to-face conversations ( Docherty et al., 1996 ). Online social interactions may not require the use of non-verbal cues, particularly in the initial stages of interaction ( Kiesler, Siegel, & McGuire, 1984 ), with interactions being more fluid, and within the control of users, thereby overcoming possible social anxieties linked to in-person interaction ( Indian & Grieve, 2014 ). Furthermore, many individuals with serious mental disorders can experience symptoms including passive social withdrawal, blunted affect and attentional impairment, as well as active social avoidance due to hallucinations or other concerns ( Hansen, Torgalsbøen, Melle, & Bell, 2009 ); thus, potentially reinforcing the relative advantage, as perceived by users, of using social media over in person conversations.

Access to a Peer Support Network

There is growing recognition about the role that social media channels could play in enabling peer support ( Bucci et al., 2019 ; Naslund, Aschbrenner, et al., 2016b ), referred to as a system of mutual giving and receiving where individuals who have endured the difficulties of mental illness can offer hope, friendship, and support to others facing similar challenges ( Davidson, Chinman, Sells, & Rowe, 2006 ; Mead, Hilton, & Curtis, 2001 ). Initial studies exploring use of online self-help forums among individuals with serious mental illnesses have found that individuals with schizophrenia appeared to use these forums for self-disclosure, and sharing personal experiences, in addition to providing or requesting information, describing symptoms, or discussing medication ( Haker, Lauber, & Rössler, 2005 ), while users with bipolar disorder reported using these forums to ask for help from others about their illness ( Vayreda & Antaki, 2009 ). More recently, in a review of online social networking in people with psychosis, Highton-Williamson et al (2015) highlight that an important purpose of such online connections was to establish new friendships, pursue romantic relationships, maintain existing relationships or reconnect with people, and seek online peer support from others with lived experience ( Highton-Williamson et al., 2015 ).

Online peer support among individuals with mental illness has been further elaborated in various studies. In a content analysis of comments posted to YouTube by individuals who self-identified as having a serious mental illness, there appeared to be opportunities to feel less alone, provide hope, find support and learn through mutual reciprocity, and share coping strategies for day-to-day challenges of living with a mental illness ( Naslund, Grande, Aschbrenner, & Elwyn, 2014 ). In another study, Chang (2009) delineated various communication patterns in an online psychosis peer-support group ( Chang, 2009 ). Specifically, different forms of support emerged, including ‘informational support’ about medication use or contacting mental health providers, ‘esteem support’ involving positive comments for encouragement, ‘network support’ for sharing similar experiences, and ‘emotional support’ to express understanding of a peer’s situation and offer hope or confidence ( Chang, 2009 ). Bauer et al. (2013) reported that the main interest in online self-help forums for patients with bipolar disorder was to share emotions with others, allow exchange of information, and benefit by being part of an online social group ( Bauer, Bauer, Spiessl, & Kagerbauer, 2013 ).

For individuals who openly discuss mental health problems on Twitter, a study by Berry et al. (2017) found that this served as an important opportunity to seek support and to hear about the experiences of others ( Berry et al., 2017 ). In a survey of social media users with mental illness, respondents reported that sharing personal experiences about living with mental illness and opportunities to learn about strategies for coping with mental illness from others were important reasons for using social media ( Naslund et al., 2017 ). A computational study of mental health awareness campaigns on Twitter provides further support with inspirational posts and tips being the most shared ( Saha et al., 2019 ). Taken together, these studies offer insights about the potential for social media to facilitate access to an informal peer support network, though more research is necessary to examine how these online interactions may impact intentions to seek care, illness self-management, and clinically meaningful outcomes in offline contexts.

Promote Engagement and Retention in Services

Many individuals living with mental disorders have expressed interest in using social media platforms for seeking mental health information ( Lal, Nguyen, & Theriault, 2018 ), connecting with mental health providers ( M. L. Birnbaum et al., 2017 ), and accessing evidence-based mental health services delivered over social media specifically for coping with mental health symptoms or for promoting overall health and wellbeing ( Naslund et al., 2017 ). With the widespread use of social media among individuals living with mental illness combined with the potential to facilitate social interaction and connect with supportive peers, as summarized above, it may be possible to leverage the popular features of social media to enhance existing mental health programs and services. A recent review by Biagianti et al (2018) found that peer-to-peer support appeared to offer feasible and acceptable ways to augment digital mental health interventions for individuals with psychotic disorders by specifically improving engagement, compliance, and adherence to the interventions, and may also improve perceived social support ( Biagianti, Quraishi, & Schlosser, 2018 ).

Among digital programs that have incorporated peer-to-peer social networking consistent with popular features on social media platforms, a pilot study of the HORYZONS online psychosocial intervention demonstrated significant reductions in depression among patients with first episode psychosis ( Alvarez-Jimenez et al., 2013 ). Importantly, the majority of participants (95%) in this study engaged with the peer-to-peer networking feature of the program, with many reporting increases in perceived social connectedness and empowerment in their recovery process ( Alvarez-Jimenez et al., 2013 ). This moderated online social therapy program is now being evaluated as part of a large randomized controlled trial for maintaining treatment effects from first episode psychosis services ( Alvarez-Jimenez et al., 2019 ).

Other early efforts have demonstrated that use of digital environments with the interactive peer-to-peer features of social media can enhance social functioning and wellbeing in young people at high risk of psychosis ( Alvarez-Jimenez et al., 2018 ). There has also been a recent emergence of several mobile apps to support symptom monitoring and relapse prevention in psychotic disorders. Among these apps, the development of PRIME (Personalized Real-time Intervention for Motivational Enhancement) has involved working closely with young people with schizophrenia to ensure that the design of the app has the look and feel of mainstream social media platforms, as opposed to existing clinical tools ( Schlosser et al., 2016 ). This unique approach to the design of the app is aimed at promoting engagement, and ensuring that the app can effectively improve motivation and functioning through goal setting and promoting better quality of life of users with schizophrenia ( Schlosser et al., 2018 ).

Social media platforms could also be used to promote engagement and participation in in-person services delivered through community mental health settings. For example, the peer-based lifestyle intervention called PeerFIT targets weight loss and improved fitness among individuals living with serious mental illness through a combination of in-person lifestyle classes, exercise groups, and use of digital technologies ( Aschbrenner, Naslund, Shevenell, Kinney, & Bartels, 2016 ; Aschbrenner, Naslund, Shevenell, Mueser, & Bartels, 2016 ). The intervention holds tremendous promise as lack of support is one of the largest barriers toward exercise in patients with serious mental illness ( Firth et al., 2016 ) and it is now possible to use social media to counter such. Specifically, in PeerFIT, a private Facebook group is closely integrated into the program to offer a closed platform where participants can connect with the lifestyle coaches, access intervention content, and support or encourage each other as they work towards their lifestyle goals ( Aschbrenner, Naslund, & Bartels, 2016 ; Naslund, Aschbrenner, Marsch, & Bartels, 2016a ). To date, this program has demonstrate preliminary effectiveness for meaningfully reducing cardiovascular risk factors that contribute to early mortality in this patient group ( Aschbrenner, Naslund, Shevenell, Kinney, et al., 2016 ), while the Facebook component appears to have increased engagement in the program, while allowing participants who were unable to attend in-person sessions due to other health concerns or competing demands to remain connected with the program ( Naslund, Aschbrenner, Marsch, McHugo, & Bartels, 2018 ). This lifestyle intervention is currently being evaluated in a randomized controlled trial enrolling young adults with serious mental illness from a variety of real world community mental health services settings ( Aschbrenner, Naslund, Gorin, et al., 2018 ).

These examples highlight the promise of incorporating the features of popular social media into existing programs, which may offer opportunities to safely promote engagement and program retention, while achieving improved clinical outcomes. This is an emerging area of research, as evidenced by several important effectiveness trials underway ( Alvarez-Jimenez et al., 2019 ; Aschbrenner, Naslund, Gorin, et al., 2018 ), including efforts to leverage online social networking to support family caregivers of individuals receiving first episode psychosis services ( Gleeson et al., 2017 ).

Challenges with Social Media for Mental Health

The science on the role of social media for engaging persons with mental disorders needs a cautionary note on the effects of social media usage on mental health and well being, particularly in adolescents and young adults. While the risks and harms of social media are frequently covered in the popular press and mainstream news reports, careful consideration of the research in this area is necessary. In a review of 43 studies in young people, many benefits of social media were cited, including increased self-esteem, and opportunities for self-disclosure ( Best, Manktelow, & Taylor, 2014 ). Yet, reported negative effects were an increased exposure to harm, social isolation, depressive symptoms and bullying ( Best et al., 2014 ). In the sections that follow (see Table 1 for a summary), we consider three major categories of risk related to use of social media and mental health. These include: 1) Impact on symptoms; 2) Facing hostile interactions; and 3) Consequences for daily life.

Impact on Symptoms

Studies consistently highlight that use of social media, especially heavy use and prolonged time spent on social media platforms, appears to contribute to increased risk for a variety of mental health symptoms and poor wellbeing, especially among young people ( Andreassen et al., 2016 ; Kross et al., 2013 ; Woods & Scott, 2016 ). This may partly be driven by the detrimental effects of screen time on mental health, including increased severity of anxiety and depressive symptoms, which have been well documented ( Stiglic & Viner, 2019 ). Recent studies have reported negative effects of social media use on mental health of young people, including social comparison pressure with others and greater feeling of social isolation after being rejected by others on social media ( Rideout & Fox, 2018 ). In a study of young adults, it was found that negative comparisons with others on Facebook contributed to risk of rumination and subsequent increases in depression symptoms ( Feinstein et al., 2013 ). Still, the cross sectional nature of many screen time and mental health studies makes it challenging to reach causal inferences ( Orben & Przybylski, 2019 ).

Quantity of social media use is also an important factor, as highlighted in a survey of young adults ages 19 to 32, where more frequent visits to social media platforms each week were correlated with greater depressive symptoms ( Lin et al., 2016 ). More time spent using social media is also associated with greater symptoms of anxiety ( Vannucci, Flannery, & Ohannessian, 2017 ). The actual number of platforms accessed also appears to contribute to risk as reflected in another national survey of young adults where use of a large number of social media platforms was associated with negative impact on mental health ( Primack et al., 2017 ). Among survey respondents using between 7 and 11 different social media platforms compared to respondents using only 2 or fewer platforms, there was a 3 times greater odds of having high levels of depressive symptoms and a 3.2 times greater odds of having high levels of anxiety symptoms ( Primack et al., 2017 ).

Many researchers have postulated that worsening mental health attributed to social media use may be because social media replaces face-to-face interactions for young people ( Twenge & Campbell, 2018 ), and may contribute to greater loneliness ( Bucci et al., 2019 ), and negative effects on other aspects of health and wellbeing ( Woods & Scott, 2016 ). One nationally representative survey of US adolescents found that among respondents who reported more time accessing media such as social media platforms or smartphone devices, there was significantly greater depressive symptoms and increased risk of suicide when compared to adolescents who reported spending more time on non-screen activities, such as in-person social interaction or sports and recreation activities ( Twenge, Joiner, Rogers, & Martin, 2018 ). For individuals living with more severe mental illnesses, the effects of social media on psychiatric symptoms have received less attention. One study found that participation in chat rooms may contribute to worsening symptoms in young people with psychotic disorders ( Mittal, Tessner, & Walker, 2007 ), while another study of patients with psychosis found that social media use appeared to predict low mood ( Berry, Emsley, Lobban, & Bucci, 2018 ). These studies highlight a clear relationship between social media use and mental health that may not be present in general population studies ( Orben & Przybylski, 2019 ), and emphasize the need to explore how social media may contribute to symptom severity and whether protective factors may be identified to mitigate these risks.

Facing Hostile Interactions

Popular social media platforms can create potential situations where individuals may be victimized by negative comments or posts. Cyberbullying represents a form of online aggression directed towards specific individuals, such as peers or acquaintances, which is perceived to be most harmful when compared to random hostile comments posted online ( Hamm et al., 2015 ). Importantly, cyberbullying on social media consistently shows harmful impact on mental health in the form of increased depressive symptoms as well as worsening of anxiety symptoms, as evidenced in a review of 36 studies among children and young people ( Hamm et al., 2015 ). Furthermore, cyberbullying disproportionately impacts females as reflected in a national survey of adolescents in the United States, where females were twice as likely to be victims of cyberbullying compared to males ( Alhajji, Bass, & Dai, 2019 ). Most studies report cross-sectional associations between cyberbullying and symptoms of depression or anxiety ( Hamm et al., 2015 ), though one longitudinal study in Switzerland found that cyberbullying contributed to significantly greater depression over time ( Machmutow, Perren, Sticca, & Alsaker, 2012 ).

For youth ages 10 to 17 who reported major depressive symptomatology, there was over 3 times greater odds of facing online harassment in the last year compared to youth who reported mild or no depressive symptoms ( Ybarra, 2004 ). Similarly, in a 2018 national survey of young people, respondents ages 14 to 22 with moderate to severe depressive symptoms were more likely to have had negative experiences when using social media, and in particular, were more likely to report having faced hostile comments, or being “trolled”, from others when compared to respondents without depressive symptoms (31% vs. 14%) ( Rideout & Fox, 2018 ). As these studies depict risks for victimization on social media and the correlation with poor mental health, it is possible that individuals living with mental illness may also experience greater hostility online compared to individuals without mental illness. This would be consistent with research showing greater risk of hostility, including increased violence and discrimination, directed towards individuals living with mental illness in in-person contexts, especially targeted at those with severe mental illnesses ( Goodman et al., 1999 ).

A computational study of mental health awareness campaigns on Twitter reported that while stigmatizing content was rare, it was actually the most spread (re-tweeted) demonstrating that harmful content can travel quickly on social media ( Saha et al., 2019 ). Another study was able to map the spread of social media posts about the Blue Whale Challenge, an alleged game promoting suicide, over Twitter, YouTube, Reddit, Tumblr and other forums across 127 countries ( Sumner et al., 2019 ). These findings show that it is critical to monitor the actual content of social media posts, such as determining whether content is hostile or promotes harm to self or others. This is pertinent because existing research looking at duration of exposure cannot account for the impact of specific types of content on mental health and is insufficient to fully understand the effects of using these platforms on mental health.

Consequences for Daily Life

The ways in which individuals use social media can also impact their offline relationships and everyday activities. To date, reports have described risks of social media use pertaining to privacy, confidentiality, and unintended consequences of disclosing personal health information online ( Torous & Keshavan, 2016 ). Additionally, concerns have been raised about poor quality or misleading health information shared on social media, and that social media users may not be aware of misleading information or conflicts of interest especially when the platforms promote popular content regardless of whether it is from a trustworthy source ( Moorhead et al., 2013 ; Ventola, 2014 ). For persons living with mental illness there may be additional risks from using social media. A recent study that specifically explored the perspectives of social media users with serious mental illnesses, including participants with schizophrenia spectrum disorders, bipolar disorder, or major depression, found that over one third of participants expressed concerns about privacy when using social media ( Naslund & Aschbrenner, 2019 ). The reported risks of social media use were directly related to many aspects of everyday life, including concerns about threats to employment, fear of stigma and being judged, impact on personal relationships, and facing hostility or being hurt ( Naslund & Aschbrenner, 2019 ). While few studies have specifically explored the dangers of social media use from the perspectives of individuals living with mental illness, it is important to recognize that use of these platforms may contribute to risks that extend beyond worsening symptoms and that can affect different aspects of daily life.

In this commentary we considered ways in which social media may yield benefits for individuals living with mental illness, while contrasting these with the possible harms. Studies reporting on the threats of social media for individuals with mental illness are mostly cross-sectional, making it difficult to draw conclusions about direction of causation. However, the risks are potentially serious. These risks should be carefully considered in discussions pertaining to use of social media and the broader use of digital mental health technologies, as avenues for mental health promotion, or for supporting access to evidence-based programs or mental health services. At this point, it would be premature to view the benefits of social media as outweighing the possible harms, when it is clear from the studies summarized here that social media use can have negative effects on mental health symptoms, can potentially expose individuals to hurtful content and hostile interactions, and can result in serious consequences for daily life, including threats to employment and personal relationships. Despite these risks, it is also necessary to recognize that individuals with mental illness will continue to use social media given the ease of accessing these platforms and the immense popularity of online social networking. With this in mind, it may be ideal to raise awareness about these possible risks so that individuals can implement necessary safeguards, while also highlighting that there could also be benefits. For individuals with mental illness who use social media, being aware of the risks is an essential first step, and then highlighting ways that use of these popular platforms could also contribute to some benefits, ranging from finding meaningful interactions with others, engaging with peer support networks, and accessing information and services.

To capitalize on the widespread use of social media, and to achieve the promise that these platforms may hold for supporting the delivery of targeted mental health interventions, there is need for continued research to better understand how individuals living with mental illness use social media. Such efforts could inform safety measures and also encourage use of social media in ways that maximize potential benefits while minimizing risk of harm. It will be important to recognize how gender and race contribute to differences in use of social media for seeking mental health information or accessing interventions, as well as differences in how social media might impact mental wellbeing. For example, a national survey of 14- to 22-year olds in the United States found that female respondents were more likely to search online for information about depression or anxiety, and to try to connect with other people online who share similar mental health concerns, when compared to male respondents ( Rideout & Fox, 2018 ). In the same survey, there did not appear to be any differences between racial or ethnic groups in social media use for seeking mental health information ( Rideout & Fox, 2018 ). Social media use also appears to have a differential impact on mental health and emotional wellbeing between females and males ( Booker, Kelly, & Sacker, 2018 ), highlighting the need to explore unique experiences between gender groups to inform tailored programs and services. Research shows that lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender individuals frequently use social media for searching for health information and may be more likely compared to heterosexual individuals to share their own personal health experiences with others online ( Rideout & Fox, 2018 ). Less is known about use of social media for seeking support for mental health concerns among gender minorities, though this is an important area for further investigation as these individuals are more likely to experience mental health problems and more likely to experience online victimization when compared to heterosexual individuals ( Mereish, Sheskier, Hawthorne, & Goldbach, 2019 ).

Similarly, efforts are needed to explore the relationship between social media use and mental health among ethnic and racial minorities. A recent study found that exposure to traumatic online content on social media showing violence or hateful posts directed at racial minorities contributed to increases in psychological distress, PTSD symptoms, and depression among African American and Latinx adolescents in the United States ( Tynes, Willis, Stewart, & Hamilton, 2019 ). These concerns are contrasted by growing interest in the potential for new technologies including social media to expand the reach of services to underrepresented minority groups ( Schueller, Hunter, Figueroa, & Aguilera, 2019 ). Therefore, greater attention is needed to understanding the perspectives of ethnic and racial minorities to inform effective and safe use of social media for mental health promotion efforts.

Research has found that individuals living with mental illness have expressed interest in accessing mental health services through social media platforms. A survey of social media users with mental illness found that most respondents were interested in accessing programs for mental health on social media targeting symptom management, health promotion, and support for communicating with health care providers and interacting with the health system ( Naslund et al., 2017 ). Importantly, individuals with serious mental illness have also emphasized that any mental health intervention on social media would need to be moderated by someone with adequate training and credentials, would need to have ground rules and ways to promote safety and minimize risks, and importantly, would need to be free and easy to access.

An important strength with this commentary is that it combines a range of studies broadly covering the topic of social media and mental health. We have provided a summary of recent evidence in a rapidly advancing field with the goal of presenting unique ways that social media could offer benefits for individuals with mental illness, while also acknowledging the potentially serious risks and the need for further investigation. There are also several limitations with this commentary that warrant consideration. Importantly, as we aimed to address this broad objective, we did not conduct a systematic review of the literature. Therefore, the studies reported here are not exhaustive, and there may be additional relevant studies that were not included. Additionally, we only summarized published studies, and as a result, any reports from the private sector or websites from different organizations using social media or other apps containing social media-like features would have been omitted. Though it is difficult to rigorously summarize work from the private sector, sometimes referred to as “gray literature”, because many of these projects are unpublished and are likely selective in their reporting of findings given the target audience may be shareholders or consumers.

Another notable limitation is that we did not assess risk of bias in the studies summarized in this commentary. We found many studies that highlighted risks associated with social media use for individuals living with mental illness; however, few studies of programs or interventions reported negative findings, suggesting the possibility that negative findings may go unpublished. This concern highlights the need for a future more rigorous review of the literature with careful consideration of bias and an accompanying quality assessment. Most of the studies that we described were from the United States, as well as from other higher income settings such as Australia or the United Kingdom. Despite the global reach of social media platforms, there is a dearth of research on the impact of these platforms on the mental health of individuals in diverse settings, as well as the ways in which social media could support mental health services in lower income countries where there is virtually no access to mental health providers. Future research is necessary to explore the opportunities and risks for social media to support mental health promotion in low-income and middle-income countries, especially as these countries face a disproportionate share of the global burden of mental disorders, yet account for the majority of social media users worldwide ( Naslund et al., 2019 ).

Future Directions for Social Media and Mental Health

As we consider future research directions, the near ubiquitous social media use also yields new opportunities to study the onset and manifestation of mental health symptoms and illness severity earlier than traditional clinical assessments. There is an emerging field of research referred to as ‘digital phenotyping’ aimed at capturing how individuals interact with their digital devices, including social media platforms, in order to study patterns of illness and identify optimal time points for intervention ( Jain, Powers, Hawkins, & Brownstein, 2015 ; Onnela & Rauch, 2016 ). Given that most people access social media via mobile devices, digital phenotyping and social media are closely related ( Torous et al., 2019 ). To date, the emergence of machine learning, a powerful computational method involving statistical and mathematical algorithms ( Shatte, Hutchinson, & Teague, 2019 ), has made it possible to study large quantities of data captured from popular social media platforms such as Twitter or Instagram to illuminate various features of mental health ( Manikonda & De Choudhury, 2017 ; Reece et al., 2017 ). Specifically, conversations on Twitter have been analyzed to characterize the onset of depression ( De Choudhury, Gamon, Counts, & Horvitz, 2013 ) as well as detecting users’ mood and affective states ( De Choudhury, Gamon, & Counts, 2012 ), while photos posted to Instagram can yield insights for predicting depression ( Reece & Danforth, 2017 ). The intersection of social media and digital phenotyping will likely add new levels of context to social media use in the near future.

Several studies have also demonstrated that when compared to a control group, Twitter users with a self-disclosed diagnosis of schizophrenia show unique online communication patterns ( Michael L Birnbaum, Ernala, Rizvi, De Choudhury, & Kane, 2017 ), including more frequent discussion of tobacco use ( Hswen et al., 2017 ), symptoms of depression and anxiety ( Hswen, Naslund, Brownstein, & Hawkins, 2018b ), and suicide ( Hswen, Naslund, Brownstein, & Hawkins, 2018a ). Another study found that online disclosures about mental illness appeared beneficial as reflected by fewer posts about symptoms following self-disclosure (Ernala, Rizvi, Birnbaum, Kane, & De Choudhury, 2017). Each of these examples offers early insights into the potential to leverage widely available online data for better understanding the onset and course of mental illness. It is possible that social media data could be used to supplement additional digital data, such as continuous monitoring using smartphone apps or smart watches, to generate a more comprehensive ‘digital phenotype’ to predict relapse and identify high-risk health behaviors among individuals living with mental illness ( Torous et al., 2019 ).

With research increasingly showing the valuable insights that social media data can yield about mental health states, greater attention to the ethical concerns with using individual data in this way is necessary ( Chancellor, Birnbaum, Caine, Silenzio, & De Choudhury, 2019 ). For instance, data is typically captured from social media platforms without the consent or awareness of users ( Bidargaddi et al., 2017 ), which is especially crucial when the data relates to a socially stigmatizing health condition such as mental illness ( Guntuku, Yaden, Kern, Ungar, & Eichstaedt, 2017 ). Precautions are needed to ensure that data is not made identifiable in ways that were not originally intended by the user who posted the content, as this could place an individual at risk of harm or divulge sensitive health information ( Webb et al., 2017 ; Williams, Burnap, & Sloan, 2017 ). Promising approaches for minimizing these risks include supporting the participation of individuals with expertise in privacy, clinicians, as well as the target individuals with mental illness throughout the collection of data, development of predictive algorithms, and interpretation of findings ( Chancellor et al., 2019 ).

In recognizing that many individuals living with mental illness use social media to search for information about their mental health, it is possible that they may also want to ask their clinicians about what they find online to check if the information is reliable and trustworthy. Alternatively, many individuals may feel embarrassed or reluctant to talk to their clinicians about using social media to find mental health information out of concerns of being judged or dismissed. Therefore, mental health clinicians may be ideally positioned to talk with their patients about using social media, and offer recommendations to promote safe use of these sites, while also respecting their patients’ autonomy and personal motivations for using these popular platforms. Given the gap in clinical knowledge about the impact of social media on mental health, clinicians should be aware of the many potential risks so that they can inform their patients, while remaining open to the possibility that their patients may also experience benefits through use of these platforms. As awareness of these risks grows, it may be possible that new protections will be put in place by industry or through new policies that will make the social media environment safer. It is hard to estimate a number needed to treat or harm today given the nascent state of research, which means the patient and clinician need to weigh the choice on a personal level. Thus offering education and information is an important first step in that process. As patients increasingly show interest in accessing mental health information or services through social media, it will be necessary for health systems to recognize social media as a potential avenue for reaching or offering support to patients. This aligns with growing emphasis on the need for greater integration of digital psychiatry, including apps, smartphones, or wearable devices, into patient care and clinical services through institution-wide initiatives and training clinical providers ( Hilty, Chan, Torous, Luo, & Boland, 2019 ). Within a learning healthcare environment where research and care are tightly intertwined and feedback between both is rapid, the integration of digital technologies into services may create new opportunities for advancing use of social media for mental health.

As highlighted in this commentary, social media has become an important part of the lives of many individuals living with mental disorders. Many of these individuals use social media to share their lived experiences with mental illness, to seek support from others, and to search for information about treatment recommendations, accessing mental health services, and coping with symptoms ( Bucci et al., 2019 ; Highton-Williamson et al., 2015 ; Naslund, Aschbrenner, et al., 2016b ). As the field of digital mental health advances, the wide reach, ease of access, and popularity of social media platforms could be used to allow individuals in need of mental health services or facing challenges of mental illness to access evidence-based treatment and support. To achieve this end and to explore whether social media platforms can advance efforts to close the gap in available mental health services in the United States and globally, it will be essential for researchers to work closely with clinicians and with those affected by mental illness to ensure that possible benefits of using social media are carefully weighed against anticipated risks.

Acknowledgements

Dr. Naslund is supported by a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (U19MH113211). Dr. Aschbrenner is supported by a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (1R01MH110965-01).

Publisher's Disclaimer: This Author Accepted Manuscript is a PDF file of a an unedited peer-reviewed manuscript that has been accepted for publication but has not been copyedited or corrected. The official version of record that is published in the journal is kept up to date and so may therefore differ from this version.

Conflict of Interest

The authors have nothing to disclose.

• Abdel-Baki A, Lai S, D.-Charron O, Stip E, & Kara N, (2017). Understanding access and use of technology among youth with first - episode psychosis to inform the development of technology - enabled therapeutic interventions . Early intervention in psychiatry , 77 ( 1 ), 72–76. [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Ahmed YA, Ahmad MN, Ahmad N, & Zakaria NH (2019). Social media for knowledge-sharing: A systematic literature review . Telematics and informatics , 37 , 72–112 . [ Google Scholar ]
• Alhajji M, Bass S, & Dai T (2019). Cyberbullying, mental health, and violence in adolescents and associations with sex and race: data from the 2015 Youth Risk Behavior Survey . Global pediatric health , 6 , 2333794X19868887. [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Alvarez-Jimenez M, Bendall S, Koval P, Rice S, Cagliarini D, Valentine L, … Penn DL (2019). HORYZONS trial: protocol for a randomised controlled trial of a moderated online social therapy to maintain treatment effects from first-episode psychosis services . BMJ open , 9 ( 2 ), e024104. [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Alvarez-Jimenez M, Bendall S, Lederman R, Wadley G, Chinnery G, Vargas S, … Gleeson JF (2013). On the HORYZON: moderated online social therapy for long-term recovery in first episode psychosis . Schizophrenia research , 143 ( 1 ), 143–149. [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Alvarez-Jimenez M, Gleeson J, Bendall S, Penn D, Yung A, Ryan R, … Miles C (2018). Enhancing social functioning in young people at Ultra High Risk (UHR) for psychosis: A pilot study of a novel strengths and mindfulness-based online social therapy . Schizophrenia research , 202 , 369–377. [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Andreassen CS, Billieux J, Griffiths MD, Kuss DJ, Demetrovics Z, Mazzoni E, & Pallesen S (2016). The relationship between addictive use of social media and video games and symptoms of psychiatric disorders: A large-scale cross-sectional study . Psychology of Addictive Behaviors , 30 ( 2 ), 252. [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Aschbrenner KA, Naslund JA, & Bartels SJ (2016). A mixed methods study of peer-to-peer support in a group-based lifestyle intervention for adults with serious mental illness . Psychiatric rehabilitation journal , 39 ( 4 ), 328. [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Aschbrenner KA, Naslund JA, Gorin AA, Mueser KT, Scherer EA, Viron M, … Bartels SJ, (2018). Peer support and mobile health technology targeting obesity-related cardiovascular risk in young adults with serious mental illness: Protocol for a randomized controlled trial . Contemporary clinical trials , 74 , 97–106. [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Aschbrenner KA, Naslund JA, Grinley T, Bienvenida JCM, Bartels SJ, & Brunette M (2018). A Survey of Online and Mobile Technology Use at Peer Support Agencies . Psychiatric Quarterly , 1–10. [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Aschbrenner KA, Naslund JA, Shevenell M, Kinney E, & Bartels SJ (2016). A pilot study of a peer-group lifestyle intervention enhanced with mHealth technology and social media for adults with serious mental illness . The Journal of nervous and mental disease , 204 ( 6 ), 483–486. [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Aschbrenner KA, Naslund JA, Shevenell M, Mueser KT, & Bartels SJ (2016). Feasibility of behavioral weight loss treatment enhanced with peer support and mobile health technology for individuals with serious mental illness . Psychiatric Quarterly , 57 ( 3 ), 401–415. [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Aschbrenner KA, Naslund JA, Tomlinson EF, Kinney A, Pratt SI, & Brunette MF (2019). Adolescents’ Use of Digital Technologies and Preferences for Mobile Health Coaching in Mental Health Settings . Frontiers in Public Health . [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Badcock JC, Shah S, Mackinnon A, Stain HJ, Galletly C, Jablensky A, & Morgan VA (2015). Loneliness in psychotic disorders and its association with cognitive function and symptom profile . Schizophrenia research , 169 ( 1-3 ), 268–273. [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Batterham PJ, & Calear AJ (2017). Preferences for internet-based mental health interventions in an adult online sample: Findings from ann online community survey . JMIR mental health , 4 ( 2 ), e26. [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Bauer R, Bauer M, Spiessl H, & Kagerbauer T (2013). Cyber-support: an analysis of online self-help forums (online self-help forums in bipolar disorder) . Nordic journal of psychiatry , 67 ( 3 ), 185–190. [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Berger M, Wagner TH, & Baker LC (2005). Internet use and stigmatized illness . Social science & medicine , 67 ( 8 ), 1821–1827. [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Berry N, Emsley R, Lobban F, & Bucci S (2018). Social media and its relationship with mood, self - esteem and paranoia in psychosis . Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica , 138 , 558–570. [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Berry N, Lobban F, Belousov M, Emsley R, Nenadic G, & Bucci S (2017). # Why We Tweet MH: understanding why people use Twitter to discuss mental health problems . Journal of medical Internet research , 19 ( 4 ), e107. [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Best P, Manktelow R, & Taylor B (2014). Online communication, social media and adolescent wellbeing: A systematic narrative review . Children and Youth Services Review , 41 , 27–36. [ Google Scholar ]
• Biagianti B, Quraishi SH, & Schlosser DA (2018). Potential benefits of incorporating peer-to-peer interactions into digital interventions for psychotic disorders: a systematic review . Psychiatric Services , 69 ( 4 ), 377–388. [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Bidargaddi N, Musiat P, Makinen V-P, Ermes M, Schrader G, & Licinio J (2017). Digital footprints: facilitating large-scale environmental psychiatric research in naturalistic settings through data from everyday technologies . Molecular psychiatry , 22 ( 2 ), 164. [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Birnbaum ML, Emala SK, Rizvi AF, De Choudhury M, & Kane JM (2017). A Collaborative Approach to Identifying Social Media Markers of Schizophrenia by Employing Machine Learning and Clinical Appraisals . Journal of medical Internet research , 79 ( 8 ), e289. [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Birnbaum ML, Rizvi AF, Correll CU, Kane JM, & Confino J (2017). Role of social media and the Internet in pathways to care for adolescents and young adults with psychotic disorders and non - psychotic mood disorders . Early intervention in psychiatry , 77 ( 4 ), 290–295. [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Booker CL, Kelly YJ, & Sacker A (2018). Gender differences in the associations between age trends of social media interaction and well-being among 10-15 year olds in the UK . BMC public health , 18 ( 1 ), 321. [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Brunette M, Achtyes E, Pratt S, Stilwell K, Opperman M, Guarino S, & Kay-Lambkin F (2019). Use of smartphones, computers and social media among people with SMI: opportunity for intervention . Community mental health journal , 1–6. [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Brusilovskiy E, Townley G, Snethen G, & Salzer MS (2016). Social media use, community participation and psychological well-being among individuals with serious mental illnesses . Computers in Human Behavior , 65 , 232–240. [ Google Scholar ]
• Bucci S, Schwannauer M, & Berry N (2019). The digital revolution and its impact on mental health care . Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice , 1–21. [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Chancellor S, Birnbaum ML, Caine ED, Silenzio V, & De Choudhury M (2019). A taxonomy of ethical tensions in inferring mental health states from social media . Paper presented at the Proceedings of the Conference on Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency. [ Google Scholar ]
• Chang HJ (2009). Online supportive interactions: Using a network approach to examine communication patterns within a psychosis social support group in Taiwan . Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology , 60 ( 7 ), 1504–1517. [ Google Scholar ]
• Davidson L, Chinman M, Sells D, & Rowe M (2006). Peer support among adults with serious mental illness: a report from the field . Schizophrenia bulletin , 32 ( 3 ), 443–450. [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• De Choudhury M, Gamon M, & Counts S (2012). Happy, nervous or surprised? classification of human affective states in social media . Paper presented at the Sixth International AAAI Conference on Weblogs and Social Media. [ Google Scholar ]
• De Choudhury M, Gamon M, Counts S, & Horvitz E (2013). Predicting Depression via Social Media . Paper presented at the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence. [ Google Scholar ]
• Docherty NM, Hawkins KA, Hoffman RE, Quinlan DM, Rakfeldt J, & Sledge WH (1996). Working memory, attention, and communication disturbances in schizophrenia . Journal of Abnormal Psychology , 105 ( 2 ), 212. [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Emala SK, Rizvi AF, Birnbaum ML, Kane JM, & De Choudhury M (2017). Linguistic Markers Indicating Therapeutic Outcomes of Social Media Disclosures of Schizophrenia . Proc. ACMHum.-Comput. Interact , 1 ( 1 ), 43. [ Google Scholar ]
• Feinstein BA, Hershenberg R, Bhatia V, Latack JA, Meuwly N, & Davila J (2013). Negative social comparison on Facebook and depressive symptoms: Rumination as a mechanism . Psychology of Popular Media Culture , 2 ( 3 ), 161. [ Google Scholar ]
• Firth J, Cotter J, Torous J, Bucci S, Firth JA, & Yung AR (2015). Mobile phone ownership and endorsement of “mHealth” among people with psychosis: a meta-analysis of cross-sectional studies . Schizophrenia bulletin , 42 ( 2 ), 448–455. [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Firth J, Rosenbaum S, Stubbs B, Gorczynski P, Yung AR, & Vancampfort D (2016). Motivating factors and barriers towards exercise in severe mental illness: a systematic review and meta-analysis . Psychological medicine , 46 ( 14 ), 2869–2881. [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Gay K, Torous J, Joseph A, Pandya A, & Duckworth K (2016). Digital technology use among individuals with schizophrenia: results of an online survey . JMIR mental health , 3 ( 2 ), el5. [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Giacco D, Palumbo C, Strappelli N, Catapano F, & Priebe S (2016). Social contacts and loneliness in people with psychotic and mood disorders . Comprehensive Psychiatry , 66 , 59–66. [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Gleeson J, Lederman R, Herrman H, Koval P, Eleftheriadis D, Bendall S, … Alvarez-Jimenez M (2017). Moderated online social therapy for carers of young people recovering from first-episode psychosis: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial . Trials , 75 ( 1 ), 27. [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Glick G, Druss B, Pina J, Lally C, & Conde M (2016). Use of mobile technology in a community mental health setting . Journal of telemedicine and telecare , 22 ( 7 ), 430–435. [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Goodman LA, Thompson KM, Weinfurt K, Corl S, Acker P, Mueser KT, & Rosenberg SD (1999). Reliability of reports of violent victimization and posttraumatic stress disorder among men and women with serious mental illness . Journal of Traumatic Stress: Official Publication of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies , 12 ( 4 ), 587–599. [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Gowen K, Deschaine M, Gruttadara D, & Markey D (2012). Young adults with mental health conditions and social networking websites: seeking tools to build community . Psychiatric rehabilitation journal , 35 ( 3 ), 245–250. [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Guntuku SC, Yaden DB, Kern ML, Ungar LH, & Eichstaedt JC (2017). Detecting depression and mental illness on social media: an integrative review . Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences , 18 , 43–49. [ Google Scholar ]
• Haker EL, Lauber C, & Rossler W (2005). Internet forums: a self - help approach for individuals with schizophrenia? Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica , 112 ( 6 ), 474–477. [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Hamm MP, Newton AS, Chisholm A, Shulhan J, Milne A, Sundar P, … Hartling L (2015). Prevalence and effect of cyberbullying on children and young people: A scoping review of social media studies . JAMA pediatrics , 769 ( 8 ), 770–777. [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Hansen CF, Torgalsboen A-K, Melle I, & Bell MD (2009). Passive/apathetic social withdrawal and active social avoidance in schizophrenia: difference in underlying psychological processes . The Journal of nervous and mental disease , 197 ( 4 ), 274–277. [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Highton-Williamson E, Priebe S, & Giacco D (2015). Online social networking in people with psychosis: a systematic review . International Journal of Social Psychiatry , 61 ( 1 ), 92–101. [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Hilty DM, Chan S, Torous J, Luo J, & Boland RJ (2019). Mobile health, smartphone/device, and apps for psychiatry and medicine: competencies, training, and faculty development issues . Psychiatric Clinics , 42 ( 2 ), 513–534. [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Hswen Y, Naslund JA, Brownstein JS, & Hawkins JB (2018a). Monitoring online discussions about suicide among Twitter users with schizophrenia: exploratory study . JMIR mental health , 5 ( 4 ), e11483. [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Hswen Y, Naslund JA, Brownstein JS, & Hawkins JB (2018b). Online communication about depression and anxiety among twitter users with schizophrenia: preliminary findings to inform a digital phenotype using social media . Psychiatric Quarterly , 89 ( 3 ), 569–580. [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Hswen Y, Naslund JA, Chandrashekar P, Siegel R, Brownstein JS, & Hawkins JB (2017). Exploring online communication about cigarette smoking among Twitter users who self-identify as having schizophrenia . Psychiatry research , 257 , 479–484. [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Indian M, & Grieve R (2014). When Facebook is easier than face-to-face: social support dervied from Facebook in socially anxious individuals . Personality and Individual Differences , 59 , 102–106. [ Google Scholar ]
• Jain SH, Powers BW, Hawkins JB, & Brownstein JS (2015). The digital phenotype . Nature Biotechnology , 33 ( 5 ), 462. [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Kiesler S, Siegel J, & McGuire TW (1984). Social psychological aspects of computer-mediated communication . American Psychologist , 39 , 1123–1134. [ Google Scholar ]
• Kross E, Verduyn P, Demiralp E, Park J, Lee DS, Lin N, … Ybarra O (2013). Facebook use predicts declines in subjective well-being in young adults . PloS one , 5 ( 8 ), e69841. [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Lai S, Nguyen V, & Theriault J (2018). Seeking mental health information and support online: experiences and perspectives of young people receiving treatment for first - episode psychosis . Early intervention in psychiatry , 72 ( 3 ), 324–330. [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Lin LY, Sidani JE, Shensa A, Radovic A, Miller E, Colditz JB, … Primack BA (2016). Association between social media use and depression among US young adults . Depression and anxiety , 22 ( 4 ), 323–331. [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Machmutow K, Perren S, Sticca F, & Alsaker FD (2012). Peer victimisation and depressive symptoms: can specific coping strategies buffer the negative impact of cybervictimisation? Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties , 17 ( 3-4 ), 403–420. [ Google Scholar ]
• Manikonda L, & De Choudhury M (2017). Modeling and understanding visual attributes of mental health disclosures in social media . Paper presented at the Proceedings of the 2017 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. [ Google Scholar ]
• Mead S, Hilton D, & Curtis L (2001). Peer support: A theoretical perspective . Psychiatric rehabilitation journal , 25 ( 2 ), 134. [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Mereish EH, Sheskier M, Hawthorne DJ, & Goldbach JT (2019). Sexual orientation disparities in mental health and substance use among Black American young people in the USA: effects of cyber and bias-based victimisation . Culture, health & sexuality , 21 ( 9 ), 985–998. [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Miller BJ, Stewart A, Schrimsher J, Peeples D, & Buckley PF (2015). How connected are people with schizophrenia? Cell phone, computer, email, and social media use . Psychiatry research , 225 ( 3 ), 458–463. [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Mittal VA, Tessner KD, & Walker EF (2007). Elevated social Internet use and schizotypal personality disorder in adolescents . Schizophrenia research , 94 ( 1-3 ), 50–57. [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Moorhead SA, Hazlett DE, Harrison L, Carroll JK, Irwin A, & Hoving C (2013). A new dimension of health care: systematic review of the uses, benefits, and limitations of social media for health communication . Journal of medical Internet research , 15 ( 4 ), e85. [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Naslund JA, & Aschbrenner KA (2019). Risks to privacy with use of social media: understanding the views of social media users with serious mental illness . Psychiatric Services , appi. ps. 201800520. [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Naslund JA, Aschbrenner KA, & Bartels SJ (2016). How people living with serious mental illness use smartphones, mobile apps, and social media . Psychiatric rehabilitation journal , 39 ( 4 ), 364–367. [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Naslund JA, Aschbrenner KA, Marsch LA, & Bartels SJ (2016a). Feasibility and acceptability of Facebook for health promotion among people with serious mental illness . Digital health , 2 , 2055207616654822. [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Naslund JA, Aschbrenner KA, Marsch LA, & Bartels SJ (2016b). The future of mental health care: peer-to-peer support and social media . Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences , 25 ( 2 ), 113–122. [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Naslund JA, Aschbrenner KA, Marsch LA, McHugo GJ, & Bartels SJ (2018). Facebook for supporting a lifestyle intervention for people with major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia: an exploratory study . Psychiatric Quarterly , 59 ( 1 ), 81–94. [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Naslund JA, Aschbrenner KA, McHugo GJ, Unutzer J, Marsch LA, & Bartels SJ (2017). Exploring opportunities to support mental health care using social media: A survey of social media users with mental illness . Early intervention in psychiatry . [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Naslund JA, Gonsalves PP, Gruebner O, Pendse SR, Smith SL, Sharma A, & Raviola G (2019). Digital innovations for global mental health: opportunities for data science, task sharing, and early intervention . Current Treatment Options in Psychiatry , 1–15. [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Naslund JA, Grande SW, Aschbrenner KA, & Elwyn G (2014). Naturally occurring peer support through social media: the experiences of individuals with severe mental illness using YouTube . PloS one , 9 ( 10 ), e110171. [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Onnela J-P, & Rauch SL (2016). Harnessing smartphone-based digital phenotyping to enhance behavioral and mental health . Neuropsychopharmacology , 41 ( 7 ), 1691. [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Orben A, & Przybylski AK (2019). The association between adolescent well-being and digital technology use . Nature Human Behaviour , 3 ( 2 ), 173. [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Patel V, Saxena S, Lund C, Thornicroft G, Baingana F, Bolton P, … Eaton J (2018). The Lancet Commission on global mental health and sustainable development . The Lancet . [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Primack BA, Shensa A, Escobar-Viera CG, Barrett EL, Sidani JE, Colditz JB, & James AE (2017). Use of multiple social media platforms and symptoms of depression and anxiety: A nationally-representative study among US young adults . Computers in Human Behavior , 69 , 1–9. [ Google Scholar ]
• Reece AG, & Danforth CM (2017). Instagram photos reveal predictive markers of depression . EPJ Data Science , 6 ( 1 ), 15. [ Google Scholar ]
• Reece AG, Reagan AJ, Lix KL, Dodds PS, Danforth CM, & Langer EJ (2017). Forecasting the onset and course of mental illness with Twitter data . Scientific reports , 7 ( 1 ), 13006. [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Rideout V, & Fox S (2018). Digital health practices, social media use, and mental well-being among teens and young adults in the U.S Retrieved from San Francisco, CA: https://www.hopelab.org/reports/pdf/a-national-survey-by-hopelab-and-well-being-trust-2018.pdf [ Google Scholar ]
• Saha K, Torous J, Ernala SK, Rizuto C, Stafford A, & De Choudhury M (2019). A computational study of mental health awareness campaigns on social media . Translational behavioral medicine . [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Schlosser DA, Campellone T, Kim D, Truong B, Vergani S, Ward C, & Vinogradov S (2016). Feasibility of PRIME: a cognitive neuroscience-informed mobile app intervention to enhance motivated behavior and improve quality of life in recent onset schizophrenia . JMIR research protocols , 5 ( 2 ). [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Schlosser DA, Campellone TR, Truong B, Etter K, Vergani S, Komaiko K, & Vinogradov S (2018). Efficacy of PRIME, a mobile app intervention designed to improve motivation in young people with schizophrenia . Schizophrenia bulletin , 44 ( 5 ), 1010–1020. [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Schrank B, Sibitz I, Unger A, & Amering M (2010). How patients with schizophrenia use the internet: qualitative study . Journal of medical Internet research , 12 ( 5 ), e70. [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Schueller SM, Hunter JF, Figueroa C, & Aguilera A (2019). Use of digital mental health for marginalized and underserved populations . Current Treatment Options in Psychiatry , 6 ( 3 ), 243–255. [ Google Scholar ]
• Shatte AB, Hutchinson DM, & Teague SJ (2019). Machine learning in mental health: a scoping review of methods and applications . Psychological medicine , 49 ( 9 ), 1426–1448. [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Spinzy Y, Nitzan U, Becker G, Bloch Y, & Fennig S (2012). Does the Internet offer social opportunities for individuals with schizophrenia? a cross-sectional pilot study . Psychiatry research , 198 ( 2 ), 319–320. [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Stiglic N, & Viner RM (2019). Effects of screentime on the health and well-being of children and adolescents: a systematic review of reviews . BMJopen , 9 ( 1 ), e023191. [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Sumner SA, Galik S, Mathieu J, Ward M, Kiley T, Bartholow B, … Mork P (2019). Temporal and geographic patterns of social media posts about an emerging suicide game . Journal of Adolescent Health . [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Torous J, Chan SR, Tan SY-M, Behrens J, Mathew I, Conrad EJ, … Keshavan M (2014). Patient smartphone ownership and interest in mobile apps to monitor symptoms of mental health conditions: a survey in four geographically distinct psychiatric clinics . JMIR mental health , 1 ( 1 ), e5. [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Torous J, Friedman R, & Keshavan M (2014). Smartphone ownership and interest in mobile applications to monitor symptoms of mental health conditions . JMIR mHealth and uHealth , 2 ( 1 ), e2. [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Torous J, & Keshavan M (2016). The role of social media in schizophrenia: evaluating risks, benefits, and potential . Current opinion in psychiatry , 29 ( 3 ), 190–195. [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Torous J, Wisniewski H, Bird B, Carpenter E, David G, Elejalde E, … Henson P (2019). Creating a digital health smartphone app and digital phenotyping platform for mental health and diverse healthcare needs: an interdisciplinary and collaborative approach . Journal of Technology in Behavioral Science , 1–13. [ Google Scholar ]
• Trefflich F, Kalckreuth S, Mergl R, & Rummel-Kluge C (2015). Psychiatric patients’ internet use corresponds to the internet use of the general public . Psychiatry research , 226 , 136–141. [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Twenge JM, & Campbell WK (2018). Associations between screen time and lower psychological well-being among children and adolescents: Evidence from a population-based study . Preventive medicine reports , 12 , 271–283. [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Twenge JM, Joiner TE, Rogers ML, & Martin GN (2018). Increases in depressive symptoms, suicide-related outcomes, and suicide rates among US adolescents after 2010 and links to increased new media screen time . Clinical Psychological Science , 6 ( 1 ), 3–17. [ Google Scholar ]
• Tynes BM, Willis HA, Stewart AM, & Hamilton MW (2019). Race-related traumatic events online and mental health among adolescents of color . Journal of Adolescent Health , 65 ( 3 ), 371–377. [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Vannucci A, Flannery KM, & Ohannessian CM (2017). Social media use and anxiety in emerging adults . Journal of affective disorders , 207 , 163–166. [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Vayreda A, & Antaki C (2009). Social support and unsolicited advice in a bipolar disorder online forum . Qualitative health research , 19 ( 7 ), 931–942. [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Ventola CL (2014). Social media and health care professionals: benefits, risks, and best practices . Pharmacy and Therapeutics , 39 ( 7 ), 491. [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• We Are Social. (2020). Digital in 2020 . Retrieved from https://wearesocial.com/global-digital-report-2019
• Webb H, Jirotka M, Stahl BC, Housley W, Edwards A, Williams M, … Burnap P (2017). The ethical challenges of publishing Twitter data for research dissemination . Paper presented at the Proceedings of the 2017 ACM on Web Science Conference. [ Google Scholar ]
• Williams ML, Burnap P, & Sloan L (2017). Towards an ethical framework for publishing Twitter data in social research: Taking into account users’ views, online context and algorithmic estimation . Sociology , 57 ( 6 ), 1149–1168. [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Woods HC, & Scott H (2016). # Sleepyteens: Social media use in adolescence is associated with poor sleep quality, anxiety, depression and low self-esteem . Journal of adolescence , 57 , 41–49. [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Ybarra ML (2004). Linkages between depressive symptomatology and Internet harassment among young regular Internet users . Cyber Psychology & Behavior , 7 ( 2 ), 247–257. [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]

How should you approach your children's and teenagers' social media use?

Children's social media usage is again in the spotlight, with the SA government announcing a proposal to ban children under 14 from accessing sites such as TikTok, Instagram and Facebook and requiring those aged 14 and 15 to have parental consent to use the apps.

But with two-thirds of primary-school-aged children and most teenagers owning their own mobile-based screen devices , is banning or restricting your child's access to social media the answer — and is it a workable solution?

'The genie is out of the bottle'

Recent research from the University of Sydney reveals Australians over the age of 14 spend an average of six hours a week on social media, and according to the eSafety Commissioner's Digital Lives of Aussie Kids report, 12–13-year-olds use an average of 3.1 social media services.

Meanjin/Brisbane-based parenting and positive psychology expert Justin Coulson says "ultimately, the social media genie is out of the bottle, and we're not getting the three wishes we hoped for".

"The great challenge that we have as parents is: how do we stuff the toothpaste back into the tube? And I just don't believe that it can be done," Dr Coulson says.

"I don't think we can make any strong arguments that [social media] has been a net positive for not just our children and youth, but for our society and for our community."

As a parent of six, including two daughters currently in their teens, Dr Coulson says ideally, he would like them "to be on social media less and use their screens less".

But the reality, he adds, is "they'll be isolated from their friends, they'll be isolated from activities that are being planned, and as much as it would be nice for their friends to send them a quick text … it's probably not going to happen because they all communicate on their various social platforms".

Setting boundaries requires trust

Some parents have opted to impose their own age restrictions on their children's social media use, including Jemma Guthrie and her partner Scott Carsdale, who recently shared how they kept their daughter off social media until she turned 15.

Ms Guthrie says restricting her daughter's social media access "wasn't a hard decision" and "came naturally based on a shared belief [with her partner] that offline life is better for children".

"I think it's hard to do if you haven't already established a culture of limit-setting in your own household," she says.

Dr Coulson says in order to establish boundaries and set limits "there's got to be a foundation of trust".

"My definition of trust is really simple; it's believing the other person is going to act in your best interests.

"So if you say 'no social media until 16 or 18' and [your children] don't believe that that's in their best interest, they don't believe you're going to act in their best interests, then no matter what you do, you're going to be diminishing yourself in their eyes and reducing your influence."

He says one of the primary roles of parenting is to socialise children and teach them values and morality, both online and off.

"The rules around social media are exactly the same as the rules around living a good life: There are rules around respect, consent, kindness, and support.

"Because if we're raising good kids, they'll be good kids, whether they're online or offline."

University of Sydney Media and Communications lecturer Catherine Page Jeffery specialises in research on parenting in the digital age, and says there is no simple fix.

"The problem is if you say 'no, you're not having it at all', and then they just go behind your back … they're not going to come to you if they have any problems or experience any difficulties in those spaces."

Is there a 'right age' to join social media?

Dr Page Jeffery says while social media may negatively affect some young people's wellbeing, that's not always the case.

"There is no magic age at which young people suddenly are bestowed with all of the skills and competencies to effectively navigate social media."

She explains children develop at different rates and have different levels of maturity, and some younger people "are much more sensible and risk-averse than others".

"Bearing that in mind, parents should really make their own judgement about when their child should or might be allowed to go on to social media.

"Obviously that depends on the age of the child, you probably wouldn't let a six- or seven-year-old [on social media apps] unseen and unsupervised, but certainly with older children, I think giving them some agency but providing support is not a bad approach."

The difference between risk and harm

Dr Page Jeffery acknowledges there is a steady stream of media reporting about research into the potentially adverse effects of social media on children and teenagers — including links between social media use and poor mental health and low self-esteem — but says those studies "often don't show causation".

"Parents hear about studies … and then their kids want to get on [social media] and their kids say, 'Look, I use it, and it's good for me, and this is what I get out of it', so parents are really conflicted."

"It's really hard, and you know what? I think letting your kids go and explore online spaces is not as bad as it sounds, as long as you can put some parameters and guidelines in place."

She accepts there are very real risks and says "of course, there needs to be certain mechanisms to address those risks", but warns it is important not to conflate risk with harm.

"Exposure to some risk and navigating risk is a really important part of young people's development.

"It teaches them the sort of skills they need to safely manage online spaces, and also helps them develop resilience."

ABC Everyday in your inbox

Get our newsletter for the best of ABC Everyday each week

• X (formerly Twitter)

Related Stories

'there's no time to waste': sa government looks into social media ban for children.

Is social media affecting your mental health? There are ways you can change that

What parents worry about and what teens say concern them are worlds apart

Families and schools share responsibility in developing children’s digital wellness

• Child Health and Behaviour
• Family and Relationships
• Internet Culture
• Internet Safety

• Board of Regents
• Business Portal

New York State Education Department

• Commissioner
• USNY Affiliates
• Organization Chart
• Building Tours
• Program Offices
• Rules & Regulations
• Office of Counsel
• Office of State Review
• Freedom of Information (FOIL)
• Governmental Relations
• Adult Education
• Bilingual Education
• Career & Technical Education
• Cultural Education
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
• Early Learning
• Educator Quality
• Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
• Graduation Measures
• Higher Education
• High School Equivalency
• Indigenous Education
• My Brother's Keeper

Office of the Professions

• P-12 Education
• Special Education
• Vocational Rehabilitation
• Next Generation Learning Standards: ELA and Math
• Office of Standards and Instruction
• Diploma Requirements
• Teaching in Remote/Hybrid Learning Environments (TRLE)
• Office of State Assessment
• Computer-Based Testing
• Exam Schedules
• Grades 3-8 Tests
• Regents Exams
• New York State Alternate Assessment (NYSAA)
• English as a Second Language Tests
• Test Security
• Teaching Assistants
• Pupil Personnel Services Staff
• School Administrators
• Professionals
• Career Schools
• Fingerprinting
• Accountability
• Audit Services
• Budget Coordination
• Chief Financial Office
• Child Nutrition
• Facilities Planning
• Ed Management Services
• Pupil Transportation Services
• Religious and Independent School Support
• SEDREF Query
• Public Data
• Data Privacy and Security
• Information & Reporting

Student Support Services

• Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs)
• Dental Certificates
• FERPA/HIPAA
• Health Screenings
• Immunizations
• Laws and Regulations
• Medications
• Mental Health
• Nonpublic Schools
• Substance Abuse
• Behavioral Supports and Interventions in Schools
• The Dignity for All Students Act (DASA)
• The Safe Schools Against Violence in Education Act (SAVE)
• School Safety and Educational Climate (SSEC)
• Social Emotional Learning (SEL)
• General Program Information
• CREATE application
• Foster Care
• LGBTQ Resources
• ARP ESSER/SCTAS
• Extended Learning Time
• Extended School Day/School Violence Prevention
• Summer School
• Award Recipients
• Laws, Regulations, and Guidance
• Pre-screened External Organizations
• Program Evaluation
• Program Modifications
• Program Resources
• Project Management
• Site Monitoring Visits
• Technical Assistance Resource Centers
• Pupil Personnel Services
• Home Instruction (Home Schooling)
• School Counseling
• Safe Schools and Alternative Education
• Employment of Minors
• SSS Newsletter

Working Papers and Social Security Numbers

• Back to Employment of Minors (Working Papers)

Governor Paterson recently notified all New York State Commissioners that effective January 1, 2010, the use of Social Security Numbers by State Agencies and governmental entities would be restricted to prevent identity theft.   Public Officers Law, Article 6-a, Personal Privacy Protection Law, §96-a is available here .

Based on the information provided above, the line on the application for employment certificate/permit forms (AT-17 and AT-22) requesting a minor’s social security number has have been deleted. Any line for social security number remaining on an Employment Certificate or Permit may be left blank or otherwise marked not applicable. If you have further questions please feel free to contact the Office of Student Support Services at 518-486-6090.

Get the Latest Updates!

Subscribe to receive news and updates from the New York State Education Department.

Popular Topics

• Charter Schools
• High School Equivalency Test
• Next Generation Learning Standards
• Professional Licenses & Certification
• Reports & Data
• School Climate
• School Report Cards
• Teacher Certification
• Vocational Services
• Find a school report card
• Find assessment results
• Find high school graduation rates
• Find information about grants
• Get information about learning standards
• Get information about my teacher certification
• Obtain vocational services
• Serve legal papers
• Verify a licensed professional
• File an appeal to the Commissioner

Quick Links

• About the New York State Education Department
• About the University of the State of New York (USNY)
• Business Portal for School Administrators
• Employment Opportunities
• FOIL (Freedom of Information Law)
• Incorporation for Education Corporations
• NYS Archives
• NYS Library
• NYSED Online Services
• Public Broadcasting

Media Center

• Newsletters
• Video Gallery
• X (Formerly Twitter)

New York State Education Building

89 Washington Avenue

Albany, NY 12234

CONTACT US  

NYSED General Information: (518) 474-3852

ACCES-VR: 1-800-222-JOBS (5627)

High School Equivalency: (518) 474-5906

New York State Archives: (518) 474-6926

New York State Library: (518) 474-5355

New York State Museum: (518) 474-5877

Office of Higher Education: (518) 486-3633

Office of the Professions: (518) 474-3817

P-12 Education: (518) 474-3862

EMAIL CONTACTS  

Adult Education & Vocational Services 

New York State Archives 

New York State Library 

New York State Museum 

Office of Higher Education 

Office of Education Policy (P-20)

© 2015 - 2024 New York State Education Department

Diversity & Access | Accessibility | Internet Privacy Policy | Disclaimer  |  Terms of Use  

UEFA Grassroots Week: Irish FA help develop 'next generation' of football workforce

Monday, September 25, 2023

Article summary

Northern Irish students gaining qualifications and experience through the UEFA-funded Football in Schools programme.

Article top media content

Qualifications and professional experience

Students enrolled on the programme, which is part of the IFA’s wider Education and Employability programme, gain football, futsal and refereeing qualifications as well as opportunities to attend workshops on performance analysis, football administration and event management. "All qualifications are supported with practical opportunities in professional settings," says Allen.

"The programme aims to provide participants with opportunities to use their qualifications and develop new skills by volunteering and, or, working on IFA programmes such as holiday camps, coaching in after schools, refereeing opportunities and coaching at local primary schools. There are also opportunities to do work experience and get involved at local clubs.

"When we complete our end of year survey and hear students talk about how they are now comfortable speaking in front of a group and leading a session, when previously they wouldn’t have dreamed of doing so, it highlights the benefits and importance of the programme."

Focus on aftercare and pathways into education and employment

The IFA has recently invested in the number of people delivering the programme with eight staff now working across different regions to ensure each school in the country has access to the initiative.

The additional resource will also help the IFA achieve their aim of providing greater after-care to students with guidance on further education and employment a key part of the process.

"While it is all young footballers dream to become the next superstar within the game, the chances of becoming a professional footballer are becoming ever more difficult," says Allen.

"We wanted to produce a programme that armed those young players with an insight into opportunities and pathways that are alternative to playing whilst staying within the game they love. The programme has evolved and now caters to everyone, whether that is a player, an aspiring coach, or simply just someone with a passion for football.

"The long-term goal is that our programme will help build capacity and leave a legacy in schools, clubs and communities within Northern Ireland Football. We aim to place more emphasis on the after-care of our students so we can continue to engage and support them when they have moved on from our programme."

The Irish FA’s Football in Schools programme is currently the focus of research by UEFA and Leeds Beckett University with best practice findings to be shared with other national associations.

Selected for you

Northern Ireland – Encouraging healthy habits for kids

Female-only coaching courses thrive across Northern Ireland

Grassroots Week: The benefits of playing football

2022/23 UEFA Grassroots Awards

• Skip to Content
• Skip to Main Navigation
• Skip to Search

Indiana University Bloomington Indiana University Bloomington IU Bloomington

• Contact the Dean’s Office
• Student Life Email Newsletter
• Family Connection Email Newsletter
• Social Media
• Request a Presentation
• Join Our Team
• Register for Services
• Provide Documentation
• Schedule an Exam at AES
• Transportation on Campus
• Creating Accessible Courses
• Accessibility Measure Descriptions
• Disclosure of Accessibility Measure Needs
• How to Submit an Exam Request Form
• How to Provide Note-taking Support
• Flexible Absence Agreement
• Providing Alternate Format Materials
• Campus Accessibility
• Authorization to Release Information
• Grade Change Requests & Appeals
• Withdrawing from All Courses
• Financial Issues
• Responding to Misconduct Charges
• Application
• Bias Response & Education
• Information Request
• Submit a Care Referral
• Emergency Funding
• Crimson Cupboard Food Pantry
• Food Insecurity Resources
• Basic Needs
• Attendance Issues
• Loaner Laptop
• Disciplinary Records
• Report Misconduct
• Your Rights
• Parent Notification
• Respond to a Misconduct Charge
• Action Plans
• Consequences of Suspension and Expulsion
• Conflict Mediation
• Report Hazing
• Release of Information
• Schedule an Appointment
• Information for International Students
• Apply for the Family Support Grant
• Military Withdrawal & Leaves of Absence
• Kenneth R. R. Gros Louis Scholarship
• Fee Waiver Request
• Counseling & Psychological Services
• Intervention Program
• Substance Use Disorder Recovery
• Lifeline Law
• Tobacco & Vaping Cessation
• #NoHoosierAlone
• Gear Rental
• Academic Courses
• Join the Team
• Bouldering Wall
• Climbing Wall
• Medical Services
• Recreational Sports
• Culture of Respect Collective
• Student Wellness
• Request a Program
• MyStudentBody Course
• Bystander Intervention Programs
• Step UP! IU
• Hazing Prevention Initiatives
• Bradford Woods
• Indiana Memorial Union
• Residence Life
• Initiatives
• Greek Funding Advisory Board
• Greek Task Force/SFL Working Group
• Get Involved with OSFL
• How to Join
• Prospective Member Orientation
• Hazing Prevention
• Accountability Processes
• Social Event Guidelines
• Large Event Processes
• Educational Programming
• Important Dates/Calendar
• Academics & Grades
• Awards & Assessment
• Housing & Checklisting
• Checklist Request
• Request Form
• Student Involvement Tower
• Request a USO
• Join a Student Organization
• Annual Reregistration
• Promote Your Organization
• Technology Support
• Travel & Transportation
• Hazing Definitions
• Organizational Amnesty
• Organizational Misconduct
• Organizations on Disciplinary Status
• Plan an Event
• Committee for Fee Review
• Graduate Students
• Family Engagement Series
• Family Weekend
• Visit Campus
• Campus Resources
• Tips & Guidelines
• Signing a Lease
• Off-Campus Leasing FAQs
• Second Year Experience
• Staff Directory

Office of Student Life

• Care & Advocacy
• Veteran & Military Services

Education Benefits

Using your military education benefits at iu.

If you are a past or present U.S. service member or the dependent of a service member, you may be able to use military education benefits at Indiana University. Our Center for Veteran and Military Students can help you determine your eligibility for benefits and learn how to apply for them.

Get started

The first step in using your military education benefits at IU is to apply for admission to the university. The Office of Undergraduate Admissions has detailed information about the application process for military and veteran applicants .

You also should submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) , even if you plan to use your military education benefits to pay for school. Completing the FAFSA, which determines your eligibility for federal and state financial aid, will ensure that you receive the maximum amount of aid for which you’re eligible.

Explore and apply for benefits

There are several kinds of military education benefits available for service members and their dependents at IU. Your eligibility for benefits depends on a number of factors, including when and for how long you served. If you’re not sure which benefits you qualify for or how to apply for them, contact the Center for Veteran and Military Students—we’ll help you figure it out.

VA education benefits

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) provides education benefits to qualified veterans and their dependents through the GI Bill® and other educational assistance programs.

Post-9/11 GI Bill®

If you’ve served on active duty for at least 90 days after September 10, 2001, you may qualify for up to 36 months of education benefits through the Post-9/11 GI Bill®. Benefits also may be available for qualified dependents.

Yellow Ribbon Program

If you are a nonresident student, you may qualify for the Yellow Ribbon Program, which provides additional financial assistance to nonresident students whose costs aren’t fully covered by the Post-9/11 GI Bill®.

Montgomery GI Bill® Active Duty

If you’ve served on active duty for at least two years, you may qualify for up to 36 months of education benefits through the Montgomery GI Bill® Active Duty. These benefits are available for 10 years after you end active duty.

Montgomery GI Bill® Selected Reserve

If you are a member of the Selected Reserve (Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, or Navy Reserve or the Air or Army National Guard), you may be eligible for up to 36 months of education benefits through the Montgomery GI Bill® Selected Reserve.

Veteran Readiness and Employment

If you are a veteran with a service-connected disability that limits your ability to work or prevents you from working, you may be eligible for Veteran Readiness and Employment benefits, including funding for education-related expenses such as tuition, books, and supplies. Benefits also may be available to qualified dependents.

Survivors’ and Dependents’ Assistance

Educational assistance program.

If you are a qualified dependent of a veteran who is disabled or has died, you may qualify for education benefits through the Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance Program.

Fry Scholarship

If your parent or spouse was an active-duty service member who died in the line of duty after September 11, 2001, you may qualify for the Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship.

Fry Scholar Supplemental Grant

If you receive Fry Scholarship benefits, you also are eligible for the Fry Scholar Supplemental Grant. There is no separate application for the grant; the award will be processed by the Office of Veterans Support Services when you certify your enrollment as a Fry Scholar.

Getting your VA education benefits

If you are awarded VA education benefits, you are required to complete two online forms. The first form is the New Student Intake and this form is done only once. The second form is the Request for Enrollment Certification . This form has to be completed before each semester you use VA benefits. We use this form to certify your enrollment to the VA. If your enrollment is not certified, you won't receive your benefits. If you have questions about either of these forms, contact or stop by the Center for Veteran and Military Students for assistance.

If you receive any VA education benefits other than Post-9/11 GI Bill ® benefits, you must verify your enrollment with the VA by phone or online each month.

Military tuition assistance

Each service branch provides tuition assistance for voluntary off-duty education programs for active duty, National Guard, and Reserve Component service members. The application process varies by branch. Please check with your Educational Services Officer prior to enrolling.

If you are awarded tuition assistance, please let the Bursar’s Office know by submitting your tuition assistance authorization .  If you have further questions about the sponsored student process, visit Student Central's Third-Party Sponsors page .

If you are a student using the military Tuition Assistance program and you have questions about non-military financial aid, please contact Randy Hawes or Mary Ann Williams at Student Central. They can be reached at [email protected] or by calling Student Central (812-855-6500) during normal business hours. Other contact options may be available. Visit Student Central f or options.

Learn about Air Force tuition assistance

Learn about Army tuition assistance

Learn about Coast Guard tuition assistance

Learn about Marine Corps tuition assistance

Learn about Navy tuition assistance

State benefits

The state of Indiana offers education benefits to qualified Indiana veterans and their dependents.

Indiana Department of Veterans’ Affairs tuition and fee exemptions

The Indiana Department of Veterans’ Affairs offers tuition and fee exemptions for:

• Indiana residents who have received the Purple Heart
• Children of disabled Indiana veterans

Indiana National Guard Tuition Supplement Grant

If you are a member of the Indiana National Guard in active drilling status, you may qualify for the Indiana National Guard Tuition Supplement Grant. The grant could pay up to 100 percent of tuition and regularly assessed fees.

You must have a current FAFSA on file and submit an application for the grant each semester you wish to receive it.

IU benefits

IU offers education benefits to qualified veterans and and their dependents enrolled at IU Bloomington.

Residency-related benefits

If you do not live in Indiana, you may still qualify for in-state tuition rates. In order to receive a residency exception, eligible students must notify their campus veteran services office and provide documentation to confirm eligibility.

Tillman Scholar Program

As a Pat Tillman Foundation partner university, IU is able to host one Tillman Scholar each year. Benefits of the Tillman Scholar Program include:

• Academic scholarships
• Professional development and leadership opportunities
• Access to the Tillman Scholar Community, a network of Tillman Scholars at universities across the country

The application cycle opens in February each year.

LaVerne Noyes Award

If you are a direct descendant of an American veteran of World War I, you may be eligible for IU’s LaVerne Noyes Award.

USS Indiana Scholarship

Indiana University is proud to present the USS Indiana Scholarship program in recognition of the new United States submarine (SSN-789) named for the great state of Indiana, and the men and women who serve on the ship. The scholarship also recognizes the 100th anniversary of IU’s first educational partnership with the US Navy which began on October 1, 1918. IU is connected to the USS Indiana by serving as home of the memorial to the previous USS Indiana (BB-58) outside IU Bloomington’s Memorial Stadium.

The USS Indiana Scholarship is a one-time award of $5,000 toward education-related expenses at any IU campus. It is awarded to one current or newly admitted, full-time graduate or undergraduate student each year. It is available for use in the academic year of the student’s choice. To be eligible, a student must be currently serving or have served in the past on the USS Indiana.

Applications should be submitted by May 1 of each year. The recipient will be notified by June 1. For more information, contact  [email protected] .

Veteran Family Support Grant

IU’s Veteran Family Support Grant provides up to $2,000 in unrestricted funding each year to veteran and military-connected students who are enrolled full time at IU Bloomington and are supporting a child or children under 18. The grant is awarded on a first-come, first-served basis until funds run out.

Office of Student Life resources and social media channels

• Staff Resources