More Tools, More Control: Lessons from Young Users on Handling Unwanted Messages Online

Abstract

According to reports, about 95% of U.S. teens have access to smartphones and use the internet daily, which for most includes social media and messaging platforms. This ubiquity has raised much concern about its contribution to a teen mental health crisis among parents, educators, and legislators. Research paints a more complex picture of the impacts of social media and messaging, finding both benefits and risks to young people. As a result, it is difficult to determine the most effective protective measures for online services and legislators to take, even as the pressure to act grows. Working directly with 32 U.S. teenagers (ages 14-17, n=18) and young adults (ages 18-21, n=14) who use direct messaging regularly, we conducted a month-long, mixed-methods study. We aimed to understand young people’s experiences when interacting through digital messages and to identify key opportunities to increase their sense of safety, agency, and control.