Don Not Trust Privacy on Social Media

The Secret Social Media Lives of Teenagers

"The ready availability of tools to hide teen social media use can be problematic, leading teens to overshare images, videos and commentary. But that privacy has long been proven to be unreliable, because information shared within a private group can be easily captured in a screenshot and shared with a wider audience. The notion of privacy online is only as reliable as teens’ relationships with other users, and that combined with general privacy concerns provides little guarantee that online information will ever be kept secret. In the case of the Harvard students, administrators found out about images and messages shared within a private group chat, highlighting how easily information shared behind digital walls can quickly become more public."

"Even though 86 percent of teens say they’ve received general advice around online use from their parents, researchers at Common Sense Media found that 30 percent of teens who are online believe their parents know “a little” or “nothing” about what social media apps and sites they use. And yet, teens still say that their parents have the biggest influence on determining what is appropriate and inappropriate online."

"Adults need to shift the conversation around teens’ social media use away from a fear of getting caught and more toward healthy socialization, effective self-regulation and overall safety."

to read complete article:

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/07/well/family/the-secret-social-media-lives-of-teenagers.html?_r=0

Ana Homayoun is the author, most recently, of the forthcoming book “Social Media Wellness: Helping Teens and Tweens Thrive in an Unbalanced Digital World.”