Despite reports that suggest the opposite, the majority of teens think that social media is good for them.
A new survey from the Pew Research Center indicates that U.S. Teens think that their participation in social media sites such as Instagram, Twitter and Facebook leads to strengthened friendships, and helps expose them to different viewpoints.
According to the study, more than 81% of teens think that social media is helping them to be more connected to their friend’s lives, while 69% think that social media helps them interact with a more diverse group of people.
The teens also think social media is helping them. About 68% of teens responding to the study said that social media makes them feel like they have people that will support them during tough times.
All that said, teens do realize that there are some negative aspects to social media. Around 45% of teens that responded to the survey said that they felt overwhelmed by all of the drama on social media, and 43% felt pressure to only post positive things on the site.
Roughly 37% of the respondents said they felt pressure to post content that would get them a lot of likes or comments.
Another study earlier this year came to a similar conclusion. While teens thought that social media was good for them, most also thought that their social media presence led to more anxiety.