Trying to Understand the Tweens and Teens

    At the library I previously worked at, we had a huge after-school rush with over 50 children sprawling their school work on tables, using the computers for games, and socializing in the teen zone. Last year, I remember working in the children's room and a tween came up to me to tell me his game was frozen. I went over to assist him and realized we would need to reboot the computer. In a blink of an eye, he had his phone out and was scrolling through TikTok. I was so taken aback by the speed in which he switched between the technologies. It was like he was desperate for some kind of content or somewhere to put his focus.    
Image Source: Pixabay
    This memory was at the forefront of my mind this week as I examined educational technology research reports. I wanted to learn more about trends about tweens and their technology use. In the research report  "The Common Sense Census: Media Use by Tweens and Teens, 2021", Common Sense Media examined how tweens and teens used media during the pandemic. Common Sense Media is a nonprofit organization that reviews and rates media and technology for parents to review to find content suitable for their children. 

Media Use by Teens and Tweens in 2021

    The first statistic listed in the report was that media use among this age group has grown faster in the two years of the pandemic than over the four years prior to the pandemic. This does not surprise me, as most schools and extracurriculars were shut down during the pandemic. Tweens and teens, just like adults, turned to the Internet to keep them connected and entertained. Much like my experience with the boy in the library, all tweens are more connected then ever before, with no signs of this changing in the future.
    A statistic that surprised me in this report was that YouTube and Snapchat are the two most popular sites for teens. I seriously thought both of these sites were "dying" and getting replaced. I think this statistic made me realize that I am a little out of touch with what is trendy among today's youth. 
    The part of the research report that stood out to me was the portion discussing the enjoyment level of different types of media. This data can be viewed in the image below. 
    While teens spend a large amount of time on social media, only 34% of teens say they actually enjoy social media a lot. This shocked me! Why are they using it so much if it doesn't bring them joy? Is it the fear of being left out? Another statistic states that reading for pleasure decreased for both age groups (tweens and teens) from 2019 to 2021. This made me incredibly sad as someone who wants to engage with today's youth and help them find the joy in reading. 

How to Use Education Technology Research  

    For me, I can take this research and apply it the library field. If teens are using social media now more than ever, promoting programs and events on social media they use is important. YouTube isn't dead! If they don't like to use technology when reading for pleasure, how can I help change that? Should I change ways I am promoting E-books and audiobooks? Maybe there's a lack of information about what is accessible online for them. Because I know tweens and teens enjoy watching online videos, I could incorporate popular video clips into my programming.
    While this research report provided statistics on the frequency tweens and teens are using technology, what technology they are using, etc. it doesn't answer the why question. Why are teens feeling this way about using social media? Why are they still using Snapchat? One education technology research report is never going to answer all of the questions. It is important to examine multiple studies to help gain a bigger understanding of how technology is impacting today's youth. Reviewing educational technology research on a regular basis will help me stay up-to-date and allow me to make better technology choices when engaging with today's youth.

Comments

  1. NMZumpanoJune 9, 2023 at 1:33 PM

    I agree that we need to look at multiple studies and reports to get a true sense of what our young people are engaging with and why. It was great to read how you can use this information to your advantage in the library- don't ignore it, use it to your advantage!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Courtney EackerJune 11, 2023 at 9:29 PM

    The comment you made about teens being more connected than ever before is so true! I noticed this a lot last year, but my students this year had an even more intense connection. Like they could not stand not being in connection with each other. It was wild how sneaky they thought they were to get into contact with each other and I most times let it slide cause it's what they know now as their normal. Thank you for sharing!

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