BC Council for Families

Despite negative myths about youth online culture, research from an extensive US study shows that young people online are engaged in social and recreational activities that can be a springboard for learning.

Results from Living and Learning with New Media defines two types of teen engagement with digital media that open learning opportunities: friendship-driven and interest-driven.

Youth are navigating complex social and technical worlds online through 24-hour social spaces like Facebook. Researchers also studied how youth are using the online world to explore interests and find information. The abilities for interaction and feedback are motivating youth to learn from each other, rather than adults.

Mizuko Ito, University of California, Irvine researcher and the report’s lead author says, “This is a big departure from how [kids] are asked to learn in most schools, where the teacher is the expert and there is a fixed set of content to master.”

Recommendations for parents from the study include:

• Adults should facilitate young people’s engagement with digital media. Erecting barriers to participation deprives teens of access to these forms of learning.
• Adults have an important role to play in setting learning goals, particularly on the interest-driven side where adult hobbyists can act as role models.

Ito says, “Spending time online is essential for young people to pick up the social and technical skills they need to be competent citizens in the digital age.”

The study was conducted through the Mac Arthur Foundation, an independent foundation in Chicago exploring how digital media are changing how young people learn, play, socialize, and participate in civic life.

Watch the video summary.