Social Media & Online Life
Many children and young people participated in their social lives partially online. Some young people, like Jackson, played video games with their friends online. Social media was also a means of personal expression. Max didn’t have the confidence to tell my parents that he was gay, so he came out on Instagram, knowing that his family would see his post; others, like Sophie, used it for her photography hobby. Overwhelmingly, however, social media was a means to stay in touch with friends. Jackson (14), who was a wheelchair user, talked of some challenges he faced getting around Jersey and described his use of social media as talking to friends a lot more because say like the holidays for example you could be just sitting there doing nothing and you can go and talk for a bit.