A four-year study of adolescents’ use of technology shows that the average amount of time spent online daily by 10- to 14-year-olds jumped from 3.5 hours to more than eight during the study period of 2010-2013. Georgia Institute of Technology researchers say adolescents’ identities are being shaped through continuous online social activities – a phenomenon arising from the growth of mobile devices. The research also reveals that adolescents no longer distinguish between time online and offline, as well as how they deal with social pressure, identity, privacy and risky behavior online.

The study, one of the first of its kind to focus on low-income, middle school-aged students from a concentrated geographical area, sought to better understand motivations and behaviors for online social practices among them. Results came from survey responses and focus groups with 179 participants in three middle schools with high minority populations. Demographic representation was approximately 65 percent African American, 18 percent Asian, 9 percent Caucasian, and 8 percent Hispanic.

Social media use showed high levels of experimentation and rapid adoption of certain platforms in specific social contexts. During the four-year period, children’s social media habits became more opaque and nuanced through apps that allow private, anonymous sharing. The participants adopted new Facebook strategies when dealing with different social circles; some posted less for family to view or made second accounts only for friends. In general, video-based communication saw a significant rise in 2012 with 61 percent of participants using Oovoo, a video chat and instant messaging platform. Only Facebook and YouTube outpaced its use.

Harmful and risky behaviors, such as eating disorders and sexting, came up in the focus groups. One of the most alarming behaviors, according to researchers, was the use of websites or communities that promoted restrictive eating habits.

“With the rise of new social platforms that bring new capabilities, such as Snapchat and hyperlocal platforms, the potential for negative exploitation is real and already being observed within this population,” says Jessica Pater, lead researcher and Ph.D. Student in Human-Centered Computing.

In a cyber bullying incident, multiple platforms including Kik (for mobile instant messaging) and Keek (video-based social networking) were used to organize discussion around and single out a bully, who was using fake profiles to harass a classmate. Kids didn’t think of the online social tension as cyber bullying, but rude behavior that is simply part of life.

“The social app use we found in this population exemplifies how platforms can become truly engrained in the fabric of technology use within a group of users in a short period of time,” says Pater.

Researchers believe their approach can be replicated for understanding large-scale trends in social media in other populations, and that it could be critical for identifying opportunities for design and research on the platforms.

The paper, “This Digital Life: A Neighborhood-Based Study of Adolescents’ Lives Online,” will be presented at the ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI 2015) in Seoul, Korea, April 18-23.