A new study by Nikhila Natarajan, a PhD candidate in Media Studies at the Rutgers University’s School of Communication and Information, revealed that teenagers are increasingly aware of social media’s impact and are actively planning their own strategies to disengage from it.
The use of social media by teenagers is portrayed as “problematic and addictive,” often sparking “moral panics,” wrote Natarajan in her study’s introduction.
A statement from Rutgers University-New Brunswick said teenagers are implementing their own “frictions,” – intentional pauses – to counteract social media designs that aim to keep users engaged. Older teens are using reminder apps, calendars, and checking the clock on their phones to limit their social media usage, while younger teens are more influenced by reminders from their parents.
Published in the International Journal of Communication, the research explores teenage social media use, analyzing the “methods, motivations, and reasons,” behind their decisions to take breaks or quit social media.
“While policymakers lag behind in technology regulation, teenagers are taking the lead to combat this,” said Natarajan.
Natarajan mentioned that although much of the discussion centers on how teens engage with and spend time on social media, there is a lack of academic research on how teens may be developing strategies to resist the allure of “frictionless,” design, an endless content loop typical of platforms like TikTok – during a crucial stage of their development.
Researchers interviewed 20 teenagers from the United States and Canada to understand their social media habits. The research noted participants provided insights on three key items by age “whether teens voluntarily cease their use of social media apps; the methods teenagers employ to cease usage; and the motivations behind discontinuing usage.”
The study found that 13-16-year-olds often make small changes to their media habits to resist the addictive nature of social media. Over time, these teens become better at understanding and managing their cognitive processes. This improved perception of social media platforms aligns with their growing ability “to strategize, prioritize and manage their time efficiently.”
“The asymmetries between teens’ developmental stages and social media design are many,” said Natarajan. “The always-on challenge is that teens’ still-maturing regulatory regions of the brain are dealing with twin tensions – an easily aroused reward system navigating social media design that eliminates stopping cues and offers instant but unpredictable gratifications.”
According to her, various factors influence why teenagers choose to take breaks from social media.
“It is rarely a single experience but more often a set of interconnected ones both online and offline that lead teens to think harder about social media effects and then take actions to self-regulate their use,” she said. “Participants’ responses highlight that they are constantly thinking about the ways that their social media experiences cause both physical and emotional discomfort. Across all four ages 13-16, teens highlighted negative experiences that they credit with shifting their social media behaviors.
The study noted that there is an opportunity for parents. “An effective way for parents to talk to their teens about social media use is to focus on the gaps between teens’ prioritizing and organizing skills and the manipulative design of social media platforms,” added Natarajan.
In conclusion, the study pointed out, “At its core, this study is an attempt to understand and compare age differences in whether, how, and why insert “frictions” into their SM [social media] use. In the process, this study seeks to foreground teen voices in the broader public debate around problematic SM use.”
It further added, “While much research is focused on investigating SM ‘use’ among teens, this study addresses questions that are complementary and a logical extension of the notion of “use.” SM apps are infrastructural for adolescents.”
Natarajan earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Madras University, India, and a Master of Science in Integrated Marketing Communications from the Medill School at Northwestern University.
