It is obvious by now that teens and social media go together like chicken and waffles. An idea that sounds terrible but in the end tastes pretty good! Just by being in a school environment one can see that most kids are walking around with some sort of electronic device. But I honestly didn't know just how wide spread the "cellpademic" was until I read Lenhart's report Teens, social media & technology overview 2015. A lot of research was done to discover just how many kids have access to electronic devices, what they are used for, and how often they are used.
The run down of their finding is this- nearly three- quarters of all teens have access to a smartphone! That doesn't necessarily mean that they have their own it just means they could get their hands on one if need be. And do you know what they are doing when they do get their hands on them? They are going on Facebook! 71% of all teens that use social media use Facebook. Others use Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, and Google+. What's more is that 71% of the kids who do use social media use more than one site (Lenhart 2-3).
Want your mind really blown? Teens are online CONSTANTLY!! I'm not talking about the time when they are texting one another or taking a million selfies of themselves (no one is that interesting- they should really stop once and while). According to Lenhart's findings teens 13-17 are going online constantly. 92% of teens report going online daily- with 24% using the internet "almost constantly"! 56% report going online several times a day (did you catch that? That means that the 24% constant users are on there more than "several times a day"). 80% of teens are online most of the day (Lenhart 18).
I know what you're thinking- Why does this matter to me- the school librarian? I'll tell you why this matters. By NOT using social media to help promote your library and spread news about what is happening there literature wise you are loosing the chance to communicate with 92% of all teens ages 13-17 on a DAILY basis. I get it- who wants another job on their already over flowing librarian plate right? And I was one of you. I don't like Twitter. I often find it egotistical, and Facebook? Why bother shifting through all those Disney Dopple Ganger posts? But your students will! They are more likely to read your Facebook status that took you 2 minutes to write than that awesomely detailed newsletter you spent 5 hours formatting last night.
The school I currently work for has a policy against using social media for school related functions. After reading this I cannot believe how many opportunities to get our kids involved they are missing out on. We should be using these social media sites to get them in the library doors and THEN work on getting them to put the phones down.
Report = 48/150 pages read (grad school related info)
you have hit upon an advocacy topic: you just need to get your admin on board! It's true that these ways of dealing with students are ripe, we just need to catch up and make sure they stay safe!
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