Alarming Study Shows Teens are Making Friends Online via Mobile Phones

An online survey conducted by Pew Research Center completed in 2014 through 2015 showed teens between ages 13 to 17 are using the internet to make new friends. Close to 60 percent of teens who participated in survey conducted through a focus group admit they made at least one new friend through social media by way of their cell phone or mobile device. This may not sound out of the ordinary when it comes to digital media since activities such as gaming, online chats, and social media make it easy to snag friends fast. But, the survey highlighted how teens are using mobile phones and social media to connect with new people more often than just interacting with people they know. 

Study Shows Boys Are Likely to Make More Friends than Girls

Roughly 60 percent of boys to roughly 50 percent of girls that participated in the study admitted to making friends online using their cell phones. Even though this study included a small number of teens it can represent a large amount of behavior present when considering teen cell phone usage. There are some theories as to why boys are more likely to make friends than girls online. Boys like to use gaming sites that let you play games with others. Through such sites you are likely interacting more often with people you don’t know. Girls more likely use social media sites more often and are likely to connect more with people they know.

Making of New Friends is Likely by Older Teens

Teens between 15 to 17 years of age are likely to make new friends. This part of the study isn’t surprising but it makes sense. At this age you are likely to start gaining more friends or going out with peers more after school or during school functions. Teens may get influenced by peers when using cell phones to explore other ways to connect with people. Parents would expect their child to be responsible at this age by knowing who they should not connect with, but some teens don’t listen or feel there is no harm in adding someone to friends list they don’t know.

Social Media Sites Are Hot Spots

Gaming sites for boys are quite popular for meeting new people, while social media options like Facebook and Instagram are common friend-making options for girls. Such sites may actually encourage or influence ongoing relations. Teens may feel it is okay to add people to their friends list they don’t know, especially when assuming it is another teen. There are also teens admitting to reducing the number of friends they have on their list after a while depending on how often they use that site.

Most Common Ways Teens Talk to Friends

Cell phone use is increasing so much among teens many feel they use it more to talk to their friends than to actually talk to them in person. Through their device they use all sorts of options including instant messaging, messaging apps, social media, email, video chat, and video games. These options open up opportunities to connect with new people parents may not think about too often. Even though people they know are likely to contact them the most, this doesn’t mean teens can’t make the decision to reach out to a stranger on their own.

Need for New Friends Sometimes Comes with Pressure

Teens who try to project certain image or what to get “likes” or attention are likely seeking new people to add to their friend list. Sometimes they don’t actually want to make friends but create a vast list of people for certain perceptions.

As a Parent Does this Scare You?

With the parents of today not being half as tech-savvy as their kids, so the internet is a scary idea. This might lead you to start thinking, "how to spy on a cell phone without having access?" and if spy on text messages without touching their phone is even possible. The answer is yes, after you have their phone to install the software, you can spy on cell phones without having the phone in hand. This can help you, as a concerned parent, understand what's going on on your teen's cell phone.