Why young people use social media

Swiss teenagers are heavy users of social media: nine out of ten use it daily or at least weekly. Accordingly, we adults are engaged in lively discussions about the negative effects and measures that need to be taken. Surprisingly, there has been no in-depth research to date into why exactly young people use social media. This has now changed with the latest study , «James Focus 2025».

The results: 57 per cent of young people say they use social media for entertainment, 46 per cent to search for information, and just 4 per cent want to present themselves. Instagram and TikTok are particularly popular among young people.

The study also examined where the highest risks of the respective uses lurk. When searching for information, young people themselves emphasised that they were increasingly confronted with fake news. Young people are obviously more aware of the dangers than before. Media literacy seems to be growing, and the efforts of many parents and, above all, schools are bearing fruit.

Social media: between fun and danger

It is worth noting that young people who use social media primarily for entertainment or self-expression are more likely to be perpetrators or victims of cyberbullying. There can be various reasons for this. For example, a victim of bullying may seek the distraction that social media can offer out of frustration and despair. Boredom can be a driver for becoming a perpetrator oneself.

We can trust that, with our support, children will become increasingly responsible and mindful in their use of digital media.

The motivation of young people is an important piece of the puzzle in the discussion about bans and restrictions. The study shows that social media is both a blessing and a curse. It often serves as the glue that holds peer groups together and is used to gather information. There is nothing wrong with that. It is the fringes that challenge us: where young people vent their frustration on social media through cyberbullying, where they encounter false or sometimes dangerous information, or where every click and swipe pushes homework, obligations or sleep to the back burner.

Parents and schools must take the first steps into the digital world together with children and young people so that they can be given more freedom later on as their media literacy increases. And more importantly, we can be confident that, with our support, children and young people will become increasingly responsible and careful in their use of digital media. Who knows, they may even be better at it than us adults!