Most teenagers prefer to chat online rather than in person

The percentage of youth who reported that their favorite way of talking to friends is face-to-face dropped from 32% six years ago to 32%, according to the March survey of more than 1,000 youth aged 13 to 17. years. and April.

"You can not help saying," Is there anything important here? "- a fundamental change in the way people communicate with each other in the future," said Vicky Rideout, co-author of VJR Consulting. and lead the researcher on the project.

Ms. Rideout also noted two other findings from the survey: a 54% increase, compared to 44% six years ago, among teens who say their devices distract them when "I should be attentive to the people with whom I am"; percentage of teens, 44%, who say they are frustrated with their friends to be so much on their phone when they are together.

"I'm starting to wonder if we are entering a negative feedback loop. You are distracted with people when you are with them and they are distracted and it's not as fun in person, so you prefer to communicate online, "Ms. Rideout said.

San Francisco-based Common Sense promotes media and technology security for children.

The new study also highlights the increasing frequency of social media use among teens, 89% of whom now report having a smart phone, up from 41% six years ago. Today, 70% of teens say they use social media more than once a day, up from 34% six years ago. 38% say they use social networks several times an hour and 16% say they use it almost constantly.

"These updated estimates of adolescents' use of social media are useful because they show how common it is for teens to consult social networks many times an hour," said Dr. Jenny Radesky, an associate professor of social media. pediatrics at the University of Michigan. , specialized in developmental and behavioral health.

This is significant, she said, in the light of a July article in the Journal of the American Medical Association that suggested a link between the massive use of the media – including the frequent checking of the media Social – and the onset of ADHD symptoms in adolescents.

She said recent cases of ADHD in American children have also been reported. "This is only one study to date," said Dr. Radesky, "but I think this shows that we need to deepen the way in which shared attention, instant gratification and the Emotional excitement stemming from the use of the media can influence the thought processes of adolescents. . "

When asked which social media site they used the most, 41% of teens said Snapchat; 22% said Instagram; and 15% said Facebook. Six years ago, 68% of teens reported that Facebook was their main social media site.