CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 aired a special report Monday night entitled “#Being13: Inside the Secret World of Teens,” an insightful and sobering study on social media usage among young teenagers.1
Two years in the making, the special explored the role of social media in the lives of teenagers.
In a taped preview of the show, Cooper said that: “middle school has always been a time where fitting in or being cool has been important, but what I didn’t realize is how social media has really affected that. It’s like an instant barometer of popularity. Every like, every tweet, every picture posted on Instagram can be judged and used to see where you are on the social hierarchy.”
The show also studied the mental health issues associated with teens and the internet, featuring child psychologist Dr. Marion Underwood and sociologist Robert Faris who analyzed the social media posts of hundreds of eight-graders over the course of six month. The pair also conducted survey with the teens and their parents to better understand the impact social media has on family dynamics.
“Celebrities, parents and others on social media reacted in a big way to CNN’s special report” as CNN itself noted Tuesday morning and Common Sense Media present their own supplement to the show in the form of a brief video detailing their 5 social media rules for you to share with your teen/tween:
FOOTNOTE 1: Source: Common Sense Media Facebook Post.
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