BIO

My name is Dana Zisu, I am a junior majoring in Criminology and minoring in Psychology, and I am a part of the UROP program. This program allows me to broaden my horizons when it comes to research and see what different projects are being conducted by different professors.

Effects of Age on Social Media Use and Happiness

Abstract

During the Summer of 2020, the pandemic brought everyone’s lives into a halt and impacted the way we all live our daily lives. Teenagers during that time relied on technology and social media more than ever to connect with friends and pass their time. This study consisted of 43 teens between the ages of 13-18 who were interviewed and asked to keep video diaries about their daily life and social media use. Having participants of such a wide age variety allows us to look more closely at the different social media apps and activities that the participants partake in and how that varies across age. Social media platforms are where teens are able to express themselves online to friends and strangers. However, heavy social media use as a teen can be associated with poor mental health outcomes (Woods & Scott, 2016). Looking at the information provided in the video diaries and subsequent Qualtrics forms, the participants most used social media platforms and activities performed on them become apparent, as well as what the teens rate their happiness as based on the platforms they used. Results found suggest that 16-year-olds, on average, reported a lower happiness rating compared to the other age groups. Except for the 16-year-old’s, all of the other age groups’ happiness ratings ranged from approximately 7 to approximately 8.4. Regarding social media use, findings showed that the majority of participants in each age group used Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, and Streaming Video Services daily

Keywords: Age, Social Media, Happiness