Pros and Cons of Social Media Use for Young Athletes

 

Are you worried about the amount of time your student-athlete spends on social media? Here, Dr. Charron Sumler, TrueSport Expert and Assistant Director of Sport Psychology and Wellness Services at The Ohio State University, shares the stats on social media, along with the pros and cons of usage for young athletes. The bottom line: Social media is a valuable tool, and it isn't inherently good or bad, which means you can help your athlete harness its positive power!

What You Need to Know About Social Media Use and Youth

According to the Pew Research Center, 93 percent of teens use YouTube, while Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat are used by roughly 60 percent of the teen population. And that means social media usage is now the norm, says Sumler. "If your teen isn't using social media, it's now a conscious choice," says Sumler. If your teen is using social media, Sumler doesn’t recommend banning them from all social platforms.

However, we know that social media usage and the associated risks to mental health for young people is such a serious issue that the U.S. Surgeon General recently called for a warning label to be put on the platforms when they're used by minors. While no such law has been enacted, caregivers are understandably concerned about how to best protect their children.

Pros of Social Media Use

Friendship and community building: " Social media helps facilitate communication and information sharing. It’s where their friends are," says Sumler. "It's now a space where they communicate, build communities, and share things with each other." For athletes who are away from sport due to illness or injury, social media can be their primary source of connection to their friend groups. And for marginalized youth, social media can provide them with access to communities that they wouldn't otherwise be exposed to, says Sumler. That can be life changing.