Overview

A nuanced, intimate picture of how young people live with and on social media. Today's young people find themselves at the center of widespread debates about their online safety, and they are often told that social media platforms affect their mental health and body image by exposing them to cyberbullying and distressing images. Foregrounding their voices and experiences, The Kids Are Online explores how they navigate their identities across platforms and how they really feel about their young digital lives. Ysabel Gerrard talked to more than a hundred teens to unpack the myths and realities of their social media use. Instead of framing today's big platforms as either good or bad, she identifies moments when young people encounter social apps in paradoxical ways—both good and bad at the same time. Using the concepts of stigma, secrecy, safety, and social comparison, she helps readers understand young people's experiences. The Kids Are Online proposes a series of recommendations for parents, families, schools, technology companies, and policymakers to imagine how we might build safer social media systems.

Full Product Details

Author:   Ysabel Gerrard
Publisher:   University of California Press
Imprint:   University of California Press
Dimensions:   Width: 14.00cm , Height: 2.50cm , Length: 21.60cm
Weight:   0.363kg
ISBN:  

9780520416093

ISBN 10:   0520416090
Pages:   312
Publication Date:   11 March 2025
Audience:   General/trade ,  Professional and scholarly ,  General ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Available To Order  
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Table of Contents

Contents List of Illustrations  Preface  Acknowledgments  Introduction: Social Media in Young Lives  1. From Moral and Media Panics to Platform Paradoxes  2. Moderating the Mental Health Crisis  3. Amuse Me or Abuse Me on Anonymous Apps  4. Personal and Social Safety in Anonymous Communication  5. At-Home Photoshopping and the New War on Body Image  6. Platform Paradoxes: Recommendations and Reflections  Appendix A. Interview Participant Demographic Information (British Academy Small Grant Research)  Appendix B. Workshop and Interview Participant Information(Strategic Research Support Fund Pilot Study) Appendix C. Research Methods and Ethical Considerations Underpinning Chapters 3 and 4  Appendix D. Research Methods and Ethical Considerations Underpinning Chapter 5  Notes  References  Index

Reviews

“Gerrard shifts the scholarly perspective from that of a concerned parent to that of the young people actually using this technology. Through more than a hundred interviews with teens, she examines their conflicting emotions and encounters with digital technology. The book promises to include recommendations for building safer social media ecosystems and is sure to spark agreement and debate among college students.” * Choice Reviews *

Author Information

Ysabel Gerrard is Senior Lecturer in Digital Communication at the University of Sheffield. Alongside her academic writing, she has published in The Guardian, WIRED, and VICE.

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