A study has discovered that a significant number of secondary school students regularly encounter content they deem derogatory towards women, homophobic, or racist on their social media platforms every week. This study, based on an internet poll of over 3,700 pupils, also indicated a dearth of parentally-enforced rules about the use of smartphones by children.
Studyclix, an online educational tool, conducted the survey, which also highlighted the harmful effect of social media on the self-image of the students and the increased reliance on AI (Artificial Intelligence) tools for educational tasks. Over two-thirds disclosed usage of AI tools, with almost half utilising ChatGPT for academic activities. The respondents revealed using this tool to formulate practise questions, arrange tasks, and generate ideas for essays in subjects such as History and English.
Luke Saunders, a prior secondary school teacher and Studyclix co-founder, remarked that it was encouraging to see students use AI tools positively. However, he also noted with concern that the natural creativity of students was getting eclipsed due to these technologies. He said that students now preferred using these tools for any issues encountered, instead of independently formulating a solution with their creative abilities.
The survey also discovered that an alarming 80% of teenagers feared that they were excessively reliant on their smartphones. Most students, about 79%, stated that their parents permitted them to keep their phones in their bedrooms during the night. About 64% of the pupils spent over three hours on their phones every day, while more than 39% logged in four hours or more of screen time each day.
Snapchat emerged as the favourite platform amongst the students surveyed, followed by Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. TikTok, though placed fourth in popularity, had the highest screen time amongst users, with 4 out of 5 users spending at least one hour on the platform every day. Some users even exceeded this time limit significantly.
As far as the content was concerned, slightly over half of the students came across material they found disrespectful towards women on platforms at least once every week. Almost half of the students encountered content they deemed homophobic or racist, while 34% of students reported coming across anti-immigrant content.
Many individuals have expressed concerns about the impact of social media on their body perception. Over half of them have noticed Botox advertisements appearing on their feeds at least monthly, and the majority have seen promotional materials for fillers, plastic surgery, and weight-loss potions during the same period. Additionally, promotions for dental treatments like veneers and composite bonding are viewed monthly by six out of ten people. Nearly a third have stumbled upon tanning injection advertisements as well.