Is your child social media literate?

New study assesses tweens' social media literacy on topics from cyberbullying to privacy

Welcome to Techno Sapiens! Subscribe to join 18,000+ other readers and get research-backed tips for living and parenting in the digital age.

---

4 min read (+ 5 min quiz!)

Sometimes, I think I’m pretty knowledgeable about social media. I study this for a living, after all, so I like to think I’m up-to-date on what’s happening online.

Other times, I come across TikTok references and feel like I’m encountering a new language. The Roman Empire. Vanilla Girl. Zepotha. [Taking these in order: (1) A trend in which girls ask their boyfriends how often they think about the Roman Empire, to which the answer is often “a lot.”¹ (2) An aesthetic (i.e., style) involving a lot of white and neutral clothes.² (3) A trend involving elaborate fan theories about a 1987 horror film called Zepotha, which, it turns out, didn’t actually exist? I know. I’m just as confused as you are.]³

All to say: social media can be tricky to navigate, even for the most tech-aware among us.⁴ 

But surely our kids just kinda know this stuff?

Many of us assume that our “digital native” children are simply born with social media knowledge embedded in their DNA. And certainly, they’re likely more aware of the latest TikTok trends than your average psychologist in her mid-thirties. 

But do they know how to spot misinformation on social media? Are they ready to respond to cyberbullying when they see it? Are they aware of how social media companies make money, or what #sponcon (sponsored content) looks like?

Chances are: not so much. This is where social media literacy comes in.

What is social media literacy?

Earlier this year, the American Psychological Association issued a Health Advisory on Social Media and Adolescence,⁵ and among its recommendations was the following:

Adolescents’ social media use should be preceded by training in social media literacy to ensure that users have developed psychologically-informed competencies and skills that will maximize the chances for balanced, safe, and meaningful social media use.

So, what is “social media literacy,” exactly? And how do we know if our kids have it?

Let’s take a look at a study that aims to answer those questions. Published recently in Journal of Children and Media,⁶ it’s called “The Youth Social Media Literacy Inventory: Development and validation using item response theory in the U.S.”

What did the researchers do?

Researchers from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and Cornell University:

• Reviewed prior literature to identify core components of “social media literacy”

• Developed a scale (the Youth Social Media Literacy Inventory) that measures early adolescents’ (ages 9-13) social media literacy

• Tested the 90-item (!) scale in a sample of 306 U.S. adolescents and, luckily for us, whittled it down to an alternate, 18-item measure (see below)

Ultimately, they defined social media literacy as kids’ ability to: (1) find, access, and use social media platforms; (2) critically evaluate the content they see; (3) create their own social media content safely and effectively; (4) reflect on how they use social media; and (5) show “digital citizenship” (i.e., be nice) on social media.

What does this look like in practice?

Here’s where things get interesting. The researchers identified six domains of social media literacy. 

These are the areas where youth frequently encounter risks (and potential benefits!) online, and where we may want to focus our educational efforts. Though these domains certainly don’t address every situation for which our kids might need to be prepared, they’re an important starting place for operationalizing what, exactly, we mean by social media literacy:

The six domains (in the authors’ own words) are:

1. Media Balance: reflecting on how social media can make you feel and using social media in a positive and balanced way

2. Cyberbullying: Identifying signs of cyberbullying and practicing how to respond

3. Privacy: Learning how to positively shape digital footprints and manage privacy

4. Advertisements: Learning how to identify and cope with advertisements on social media

5. News: Evaluating and responding to (fake) news on social media

6. Phishing and spam: Learning how to identify and take action against phishing scams on social media

So, how do I know if my child is “social media literate”?

The Youth Social Media Inventory has multiple potential uses: in late elementary and middle school classrooms to assess students’ knowledge, to evaluate the efficacy of social media literacy interventions, and in research to assess study participants’ literacy.

Though not its intended purpose, I believe it can also be useful for parents. The researchers’ 18-item measure provides a nice test of kids’ knowledge, and—maybe more importantly—a potential segue to conversations about navigating social media. It’s designed for tweens (ages 9 to 13), but many items could work for slightly younger or older kids as well. Every item might not feel relevant to you or your child, and you certainly may feel that there are items missing. It’s not perfect, but as a first step toward social media literacy, it’s a good start. 

My suggestion? Take the quiz along with your child, then discuss the answers. Oh, and if they mention Zepotha, ask lots of follow-up questions. They might have something to teach you, too.   

I’ve included the measure in full below, but it (along with the 90-item version) can also be found here. Correct answers indicated in bold.

The Youth Social Media Literacy Inventory

Advertising

(1) How might a company use the information about people that it collects?

• To decide which types of products it should make.

• To decide where to open a new store.

• To decide how much to charge for their products.

• All of the above. 

• I don’t know.

(2) Dereck was looking for a new backpack with his mom online yesterday. Today, he saw an ad for the backpack he liked on his social media timeline. What could Dereck do to prevent this ad from targeting him?

• Look up different types of backpacks online.

• Turn off the cookies in his web browser.

• Like the ad.

• Turn off his phone. 

• I don’t know.

(3) What is a “sponsored” post on a social media site?

• It is a post that is extra interesting. 

• It is a post that has a lot of likes.

• It is a post that is paid for by a company.

• It is a post from a very popular user.

• I don’t know.

Cyberbullying

(4) TJ posted a video of himself on Instagram playing basketball. When he checked his post the next day, many comments were mean. They made fun of what he was wearing and how he was shooting the ball. As TJ's friend, why is it important to be an upstander or ally?

• You don't want TJ to think you wrote the messages.

• Showing empathy might help TJ not to be discouraged by others.

• If you do something nice for TJ, he will have to do something nice for you in the future.

• You can brag about being a good person.

• I don’t know.

(5) Your classmates have started the “Don’t talk to Phoebe” Facebook group because they don’t like how Phoebe dresses and they don’t want to be friends with her. Somebody sent you an invitation to this group. What should you do?

• Join in the group because you don’t want to be friends with Phoebe either.

• Send the invitation to all of your other friends. The more the better!

• Start a better group called “Don’t talk to Brody,” who started the “Don’t talk to Phoebe” group.

• Send Phoebe a kind message like “Are you ok?” or “Is there anything I can do?”

• I don’t know.

(6) One way to stand up to cyberbullying is by reporting it to the website (for example, Instagram). Most websites have a “flag” button that you can use to report. Is this true or false?

• True

• False

• I don’t know

Privacy and Digital Footprint

(7) Gina and her friends say mean things about their teachers and parents on social media sites that the adults don’t go on. Which sentence is true?

• Gina’s friend could take a picture of what they said and show it to someone else.

• What Gina said is private and just between her and her friends.

• It doesn’t matter what Gina says because the things you say on online go away after a while.

• This is not a part of Gina’s digital footprint because her teachers and parents are not on the social media site.

• I don’t know.

(8) Chloe is posting some pictures from the school’s dance on her social media account. In one photo, her friend Jordan is acting pretty crazy. What should Chloe do?

• Post the photos and add Jordan’s name.

• Ask Jordan for permission before sharing the photo.

• Text the photo to all her friends, but don’t post it online.

• Edit the photo to make Jordan look more silly.

• I don’t know.

(9) What can you do to make a positive digital footprint for yourself?

• Use filters to make your pictures look better.

• Adjust your privacy settings to control who sees your posts.

• Only use apps that make pictures and posts disappear.

• Share as much as you can with your best friends.

• I don’t know.

News on social media

(10) Some websites post “fake news” because they can make money by doing so. Is this true or false?

• True

• False

• I don’t know

(11) Marquis wants to learn more about the safety problems at an amusement park near his home. Which of the following news stories should he click on and read?

• “Fire Chief Has Roller Coaster Safety Concerns.”

• “They’re Selling Amusement Park Tickets for Nearly Nothing. When I Saw Why, I Got Chills!”

• “20 Things You Didn't Know About Roller Coasters!”

• “Amazing Roller Coaster Designs You Won’t Believe Exist”

• I don’t know.

(12) Fake news means news stories online that look very real but are really made up. Is this true or false?

• True

• False

• I don’t know

Scams and Phishing on social media

(13) What is an example of an advertisement that seems too good to be true?

• "New stretch jeans 25% off! Get yours today."

• "Our softest hoodies are $30 for a limited time only!"

• "Free iPad if you click this link! No strings attached."

• "Sign up to be a dog walker at Wag and start making money right away!"

• I don't know.

(14) What could be a hint that a post on social media is a phishing scam?

• Positive comments

• Shortened URLs (web addresses) 

• Lots of reviews

• Advertisements for paid products 

• I don't know

(15) What can scammers do when they steal your private information?

• Sell your information to other scammers.

• Pretend to be you online.

• Create a credit card in your name. 

• All of the above.

• I don't know.

Media balance

(16) Jake wants to use social media in a positive and balanced way. Which of the following should he do?

• Brag about how many “Likes” he gets on his social media posts to his friends.

• Stop using social media and do something else when he starts feeling anxious.

• Create a fake account on social media and use it to tease his younger brother.

• Start using social media the minute he gets back home from school.

• I don’t know.

(17) Samuel posted a picture on Instagram and keeps checking his phone because he wants to know how many people have “liked” it. Which of the following is true?

• Samuel is oversharing on social media.

• Samuel is talking to his friends on social media, so it’s okay that he is checking it a lot.

• Samuel should watch out for when he starts to feel sad or anxious.

• Samuel should only be using social media for 1 hour per day.

• I don’t know.

(18) Brandon shared a post on social media about how he is super upset at his mom for making him do his chores before he was allowed to play soccer. Later that day, he feels regretful that he shared that with all of his social media friends. What did Brandon experience?

• Social media bias 

• Oversharing

• Undersharing

• Cyberbullying

• I don’t know

---

A quick survey

What did you think of this week’s Techno Sapiens? Your feedback helps me make this better. Thanks!

The Best | Great | Good | Meh | The Worst

1. The Roman Empire trend seems to have spilled over into a slightly older demographic (i.e., some of my fellow elderly millennials have also taken to it), so this is one I’ve actually come across organically on Instagram. I guess the idea is that women ask their boyfriends/husbands how often they think about the Roman Empire, and—given that they, themselves, never think about it—are surprised to learn that it factors relatively prominently in their male partner’s day-to-day mental chatter. The trend has grown large enough that reporters are now on the case, with major news outlets asking the tough questions, i.e., How often do men think about ancient Rome? Quite frequently, it seems (The Washington Post) and Why are people on TikTok asking men how often they think about the Roman Empire? (CBS News). Thrilled to see the Roman Empire historians quoted in these articles finally having their moment.

2. Just observing that a lot of these trends also seem to involve Gigi Hadid and/or Hailey Bieber?

3. Here is more on Zepotha. Not even going to attempt an explanation here, so I’ll let the website Know Your Meme do it for us: “While Zepotha is being touted on social media as a horror movie from the 1980s, the movie doesn't actually exist. It's a fake movie invented by TikToker and musician Emily Jeffri in mid-August as a way to gaslight and troll viewers into believing it exists. In her original video, she encourages viewers to leave comments under thirst traps claiming that the video poster looks like a character from Zepotha. She explains how she hopes the fake movie will spread to the point where people create characters, lore and more surrounding it. That seems to be happening, with the original video boasting over 5 million views and social media quickly filling with memes about the fake film.”

4. Another indication that I’m not quite as up-to-date as I like to think: While driving a few days ago, my husband asked whether I have the TikTok app on my phone. I had to respond, in total honesty, “I don’t know.”

5. Full disclosure: I was on this American Psychological Association committee.

6. Full citation: Drake, A.P., Masur, P.K., Bazarova, N.N., Wenting, Z., & Whitlock, J. (2023). The youth social media literacy inventory: Development and validation using item response theory in the U.S. Journal of Children and Media.

---

In case you missed it

Q&A: Rules for smartphones and handling tantrums

Are screen time limits backfiring?