Digital reality in Compulsary Secondary Education: uses, purposes and profiles in social networks

ABSTRACT

Daily lives of adolescents have changed significantly with the incorporation of social networks. Therefore, this quantitative study aims to analyze which social networks they use, to find out the predominant type of use they make of them and to explore their connectivity profile. To carry out the study, a sample of 850 Spanish students in Compulsory Secondary Education was analyzed. The results show that adolescents spend an excessive number of hours on social networks, with little parental supervision. They mainly use WhatsApp, Instagram and YouTube for social purposes. It is concluded that adolescents in Compulsory Secondary Education, outside school hours, and with their smartphones, spend a large part of their day on social networks, suppressing other kind of activity.

KEYWORDS:

• social networks
• teenagers
• secondary school
• profile
• habits

Acknowledgments

This article is part of a doctoral thesis from the Doctoral Program in Education at the University of Zaragoza.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).