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Many eight- to 12-year-olds are now heavy users of\u00a0social media<\/a>\u00a0such as Instagram and Snapchat \u2013 even though most platforms require users\u00a0to be 13<\/a>\u00a0or over. However, concern over young people\u2019s use of social media tends to focus on\u00a0older teenagers<\/a>\u00a0or young adults \u2013 rather than this preteen or \u201ctween\u201d group \u2013 and concentrates on specific issues such as cyberbullying or sexting.<\/p>\n My new research<\/a>\u00a0investigated tweens\u2019 perceptions of social media and the issues they face when engaging with using these platforms. It reveals that while children are aware of dangers such as online predators, what tweens are being taught by parents and schools may overlook the emotional impact of social media.<\/p>\n Children aged between eight and 12 are at a key time in their social and emotional development. At this point, they begin to seek social networks beyond their parents, with peer relationships taking on greater purpose and importance.<\/p>\n As they start to navigate the digital social world, tweens begin to form their online identity and are exposed to different circumstances to those they might encounter when socialising in real life. They may lack guidance in this space. Parents and teachers are not always \u201cdigital natives<\/a>\u201d and may not be comfortable and confident when navigating the online world. This means they may not be equipped to safeguard tweens\u2019 digital activity.<\/p>\n My research<\/a>\u00a0took place in four primary schools in the South Wales area, with children aged ten and 11 years old. Of the 40 children involved in my study, 38 indicated that they had social media accounts, which suggests that the number of tweens using social media may be higher than previously thought. For instance, research carried out by Ofcom in 2019 reported that just 21% of eight to 11-year-olds had a\u00a0social media profile<\/a>.<\/p>\n Activities in the research focus groups included sorting social media logos and responding to visual cues. Claire Pescott, Author provided (No reuse)<\/p><\/div>\n The children were split into eight focus groups with five children in each. I employed a variety of interactive activities to generate discussion. All groups were confident in giving a definition of what social media is: many gave similar answers such as \u201ctechnically you communicate to other people\u201d and \u201ccos you can talk on it\u201d.<\/p>\n The children discussed the use of emojis to communicate online, and showed awareness that using these symbols can come with problems. One participant said: \u201cThey can be false because you don\u2019t always see someone\u2019s face and you can\u2019t see how they are feeling.\u201d<\/p>\n Others talked about the aubergine and peach emojis being used as\u00a0rude symbols<\/a>, which they were aware was not suitable for their age. This could suggest that they are engaging in spaces and encountering conversations that are potentially not suitable for them.<\/p>\n The study also showed that parents and teachers had successfully passed messages about e-safety on to the tweens, in particular concerning known risks such as online predators.<\/p>\n In six out of the eight focus groups, children made specific reference to \u201ccatfishing\u201d \u2013 luring someone into a relationship through a fictional online persona. \u201cA 70-year-old man could go and like make an account as if they were 15,\u201d one participant explained.<\/p>\n The children were able to talk about various strategies they used to protect themselves online. These included using privacy settings, not being photographed with their uniforms on, only being friends with people they knew in real life and using \u201cghost mode\u201d on Snapchat \u2013 turning off a display of their location.<\/p>\n Some children also talked about their parents monitoring their social media use by being friends with them on social media apps, or by checking their private messages.<\/p>\n Snapchat filter pictures on Halloween have became a tradition! ???????????? #HappyHalloween2018<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/amCzfmILxd<\/a><\/p>\n — AMELIA KATE \u264e\ufe0f???? (@RRTkate) November 1, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Online identity<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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Awareness of harm<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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