data mining
How to make good use of social apps
Analysis of the characteristics and influencing factors of minors' use of WeChat
In recent years, the minors of the Internet generation have been entertaining, socializing, studying and consuming on the Internet.
Some online social products also have more minor users. QQ, WeChat, Douban, Wanba, Zhihu and other acquaintance social or semi-acquaintance social, game social, knowledge social products are deeply loved by minors.
Among these social products, WeChat, as the social app with the largest number of users in China, has covered a population of 1.2 billion.
Adolescent users are also one of the important user groups of WeChat.
In order to better protect the legitimate rights and interests of minors, the research group of China Youth Research Center "Use of Online Social Products for Minors and Protection of Rights and Interests" takes WeChat as an example to study the characteristics of teenagers' use of WeChat and its related functions, analyze The role of minors in using online social products in order to better serve minors and protect their rights and interests.
In this study, a multi-stage random sampling method was adopted, and a total of 8 provinces including Beijing, Guangdong, Jiangsu, Henan, Anhui, Shaanxi, Sichuan, and Liaoning were selected as the second-level sample, the provincial capital city and an underdeveloped city, and one city in Beijing was selected. A survey sample was drawn from the district and one suburb.
The subjects were elementary school students, junior high school students and high school students from the fourth grade of elementary school to the third grade of high school.
A total of 7898 questionnaires were recovered, with 7460 valid samples.
Among them, 52.7% were boys and 47.3% were women; 26.0% of primary school students, 39.5% of junior high school students, 34.4% of high school students; 59.2% of urban students and 40.8% of rural students.
What is the problem that makes the family's supervision of minors' online social interaction "mere formality"
The research team believes that, as a widely used social app, WeChat has deeply penetrated into the lives of minors.
According to the survey, more than 60% of minors have exclusive WeChat accounts, less than 7% have WeChat accounts in the past but not now, and about 30% of minors do not have WeChat accounts.
The research team analyzed the reasons for not using WeChat, and found that the two highest proportions were lack of mobile phones and parents not allowing them to use it.
The research team analyzed that the main reason why minors do not use WeChat is due to objective restrictions, such as parents not buying mobile phones, parents not allowing them to use it, and subjective factors such as time-consuming and insecurity accounting for a low proportion.
The top two reasons for the use of WeChat by minors are as follows: nearly 90% of minors use WeChat as the primary reason to facilitate communication, and nearly 60% to read school homework and notices.
The research team's analysis shows that the use of WeChat by minors is strongly related to social interaction, and WeChat is also an important tool for minors to study and complete their academic arrangements.
In addition, more than 20% of them are "everyone use", "look at the circle of friends" and "obtain information", which are also for socializing and learning.
It can be seen that socializing and learning are the main reasons for minors to use WeChat.
Parents have an unshirkable responsibility for minors' internet use and internet safety.
Laws and regulations such as the Law on the Protection of Minors and the Law on the Promotion of Family Education have put forward specific requirements for family supervision.
The research group found that most parents mainly use WeChat to remind and regulate minors.
According to the survey, the top four management methods of parents are: more than 40% of parents remind their children to pay attention to information security and not to add strangers to WeChat, and more than 40% of parents propose specific usage time and specified usage time for their children.
In contrast, less than 40% of parents use the teen model.
It is worth noting that more than a quarter of minors said their parents "don't care much".
Discussing what you saw with your child and watching videos with your child are ranked at the bottom, less than 10%.
The research team believes that the management methods of parents are relatively simple, and most of them are based on verbal reminders, telling children more what not to do, and less telling children what to do, and fewer parents are good at using the youth model, a tool for protecting minors. , the proportion of supervising children's Internet use process and being able to have fun with children is lower.
The research group found through comparison of grades that parents have stricter management of primary school students.
The biggest difference is the two management methods of stipulated use time and use time, from primary school students to high school students, both dropped by 22 percentage points.
Another big difference is the opening of the youth model. Elementary students are 13 percentage points higher than junior high school students and 20 percentage points higher than high school students.
In the proportion of parents who "do not care much", more than 30% of high school students said that their parents "do not care very much", which is 10 and 21 percentage points higher than that of junior high school students and primary school students respectively; and the proportion of parents who "do not care very much" about boys is also It is more than 6 percentage points higher than that of girls; the proportion of urban parents who "do not care much" is about 3 percentage points higher than that of rural parents.
What causes minors to be willing to socialize online
Online social products provide people with richer social experiences and more convenient social services.
The healthy and reasonable use of online social products is not only a requirement for adults, but also a requirement for minors.
What factors affect the behavior of minors using online social products?
The research group found that the living environment of the family and the educational methods of parents are closely related to the behavior of minors using WeChat.
For example, in life "often" adults do not respect me, family members do not communicate online, and parents quarrel with their parents because of the Internet, the proportion of children using WeChat many times a day is higher, compared with "almost no" families who do not respect their children. Compared with the proportion of using WeChat several times a day, there is a difference of about 11 percentage points.
The research team analyzed that parenting methods and methods have a greater impact on whether minors can use WeChat rationally. If undemocratic parenting methods often appear in the family, children are more likely to use WeChat more frequently and for longer periods of time.
In particular, the parenting state where parents often nagging, lack of communication between family members, and quarrels because of the inability to communicate well on the Internet cannot manage children well, and it is easy for children to fall into irrational use and cannot extricate themselves.
In addition, if parents lack authority and management methods, children will also fall into unreasonable use.
The growth of minors requires a relaxed and democratic growth environment. Some families implement autocratic management of children. This is not allowed. They only tell children what they are not allowed to do, and rarely tell them what they can do. Those who are not free lack democratic respect. On the contrary, the family atmosphere makes it easy for minors to find ways to "get out of the circle".
The research group also found that the psychological state of minors is also significantly related to the frequency, duration, and functions of their use of WeChat.
Taking the frequency of using WeChat as an example, the percentage of minors who often feel lonely using WeChat several times a day is more than 9 percentage points higher than that of minors who have almost no loneliness; The proportion of minors who use WeChat many times is more than 10 percentage points higher than that of minors who have little feeling of being looked down upon.
On the contrary, the minors who hardly feel lonely, looked down upon, or feel great psychological pressure have a higher proportion of using WeChat less frequently every day.
The research group analyzed that when minors are under greater psychological pressure or in poor psychological state, they are more likely to talk to friends and family members through the Internet, or seek psychological comfort.
At this time, using WeChat may become their favorite communication channel, which also inspires parents, teachers and other adults to pay more attention to the mental health of minors and their emotions and psychological feelings.
What factors guide minors to choose to watch different types of videos
According to the survey, more than 5% of minors use video accounts frequently, less than 10% of them sometimes use them, and more than 30% of them occasionally use them.
In total, nearly half of the minors have used video accounts.
Judging from the length of video accounts used by minors, nearly 70% each time is within 20 minutes, and nearly 20% use 20-40 minutes.
According to the analysis of the research group, most minors can reasonably arrange the usage time.
There are also more than 10% of minors who use it for more than 40 minutes each time.
Through comparison, the research group found that the boys who often use it are more than 2 percentage points higher than the girls, the high school students are slightly higher than the junior high school students and primary school students, and the rural students are slightly higher than the urban students.
The survey found that minors are most interested in humorous videos, accounting for more than 70%, followed by inspirational struggle videos, accounting for more than half.
The proportion of tourism food, practical skills, games and animation, news hotspots, and knowledge education are all over 30%.
The research team analyzed that the main purpose of minors' use of video accounts is to reduce stress, relax their minds, and smile happily, which is the main reason why the proportion of humorous videos far exceeds that of other types of videos.
The research team investigated the opinions of minors on video accounts and found that most minors hold a positive attitude towards video accounts, and believe that the greatest benefit of using video accounts is to relieve stress.
The second is that the content attracts them and enables them to increase their knowledge.
Among the minors who use video accounts, more than 70% agree with the view that "watching video accounts can relieve stress", which is the highest proportion among many views; followed by more than 60% agree with "video accounts are fashionable and interesting" and "watching videos". More than 50% of them agree with the view that "video accounts help me get to know my friends better".
According to the analysis of the research team, more than half of these positive views are taken, indicating that although the main function of minors using WeChat is social and learning communication, the video account also plays a role in reducing stress, being interesting, enriching knowledge, and promoting communication.
Emotional health, entertainment, learning, and making friends are all essential elements in the development of minors.
The survey also shows that more than 40% of minors worry that using video accounts will waste time or be inefficient, more than 30% think that the content of video accounts lacks features, and more than 20% think that watching video accounts will cost more.
The research group believes that the problems that video accounts may bring are worthy of attention. These problems are not only not conducive to the growth of minors, but also to the healthy life of adults. It is necessary to strengthen the cultivation of media literacy, so that adult users and minors All users can rationally use and enjoy the benefits brought by Internet products.
The research team focused on comparing the relationship between minors watching videos of inspirational struggle, news hotspots, games and animations, hunting gossip, knowledge and education videos and the behavior of disrespectful children in the family.
The data shows that there are few minors in the family who "adults don't respect me", and the proportion of them who like to watch inspirational videos is 17 percentage points higher than that of minors who often have adults who don't respect their children at home; similarly, they like to watch news The proportions of hot topics and knowledge and education videos are also higher by about 4 and 17 percentage points respectively; on the contrary, there are often cases of "adults do not respect me" in the family, and minors prefer to watch games and animation videos, more than few The percentage of minors who have the situation of "adults don't respect me" is 20 percentage points higher; the percentage of liking gossip videos is also 7 percentage points higher.
Similarly, if minors often feel "unfree", the proportion of them who like to watch game animation and gossip videos is even higher.
Especially games and animation videos are nearly 14 percentage points higher than those of minors who rarely feel unfree at home; on the contrary, minors who rarely feel unfree at home like to watch inspirational struggles, travel food, news hotspots, knowledge The proportion of educational videos, especially inspirational videos, is nearly 15 percentage points higher than that of minors who often feel uncomfortable at home.
The research team also found that minors with more negative psychological feelings and pressure prefer to watch games and animation videos, while those with few negative psychological feelings prefer to watch inspirational struggle or knowledge education videos.
For example, minors who often feel lonely prefer to watch short video games and animations, which is nearly 15 percentage points higher than those who rarely feel lonely; minors who are rarely looked down on prefer to watch knowledge Educational videos are 13 percentage points higher than minors who often feel looked down upon.
The research team analyzed that there is a lack of democracy, respect, and a relaxed living atmosphere in the family, and the content of minors' videos will be quite different.
If parents want their children to watch more positive video content to stimulate their motivation and interests in learning, they should give their children more respect and freedom in life, and pay more attention to their children’s psychological state. It is easier for children to choose videos independently. Select positive content.
What makes minors willing to "run naked" online
After WeChat, which focuses on social functions, launched a youth mode, more than 70% of minors said they knew it, and nearly 30% said they didn't know.
But among the known minors, only 40% have turned on the youth mode, half have not turned on the youth mode, and nearly 10% have turned it on and then turned it off.
The survey found that more than 70% of minors said "I would like my parents to open the youth mode for me", and nearly 70% agreed that "all platforms should have a reminder to open the youth mode".
The research team reminds that as guardians, you must have the awareness of protecting minors, fulfill your guardianship responsibilities, and open the youth mode for minor children in time.
But the survey data also shows that there are still some imperfections in the current youth model.
For example, more than 40% of minors think that "the content in the youth mode is monotonous" and "there are too few WeChat functions in the youth mode", and more than 30% think that "it's annoying to always jump out of the prompt to turn on the youth mode".
The research group believes that the existing youth model needs to be vigorously improved in order to better meet the needs of minors, so that minors are more willing to actively accept and use the youth model.
According to the survey, if adults often disrespect their children, compared with those who hardly disrespect children, the ratio of turning on the youth mode is nearly 13 percentage points lower; there are often and almost no “family members do not communicate with each other online”. , the proportion of minors turning on the youth mode also differed by more than 10 percentage points.
The research team analyzed that if the parenting style is not respectful, free, and lacks effective and good communication and communication, it will not only be impossible to manage minors’ Internet access, use of WeChat, and watching videos, but also difficult to help or guide minors to actively open and communicate with each other. Use Teen Mode.
There are often quarrels, nagging, and non-communication in the family. Minors often have nowhere to complain, or they can only talk to netizens online.
The study found that the proportion of minors who did not speak to anyone and only spoke to netizens did not turn on the youth mode.
The survey shows that minors who often talk to their parents, teachers, and grandparents have a higher proportion of turning on the youth mode, about half; and those who often talk to netizens or never talk to anyone, The proportion of not turning on the youth mode is even higher, both of which are above 60%.
The research team analyzed that the family is an important source of emotional support for children. If the parenting method is not appropriate, parents often treat their children with simple, rude, authoritarian and indulgent parenting methods, such as seldom communicate with children, often nagging, family members quarrel online, Children do not feel respected in the family, lack a free living environment, and children are more likely to seek understanding and recognition in the online world outside the family.
At this time, social networking is an important way for minors to seek warmth online.
Improper family parenting methods will inevitably lead to the loss of family education function, so that parents have neither educational authority nor educational methods in front of their children, and naturally it is difficult to achieve good educational effects.
In order to prevent minors from being addicted to the Internet, it is necessary to start from improving the family rearing environment and repairing the family rearing methods.
Analyzing the psychological state of minors, it is found that minors who often feel psychological pressure have a lower proportion of turning on the youth mode, which is more than 16 percentage points lower than those who rarely feel such feelings; The proportion of adults who have not turned on the teenage mode is even higher, more than 13 percentage points higher than that of minors who have little psychological stress.
Moreover, minors who often feel psychologically stressed have a higher rate of turning on teen mode and then turning it off.
The research team analyzed that minors with high psychological pressure want to escape the management and restrictions of the youth model, and "run streaking" on the Internet to release the pressure.
The research team believes that it is very necessary for adults to form a democratic, respectful, communicative and understanding way of getting along with the aborigines in the Internet age, strengthen parent-child communication, and be more tolerant and accepting of minors.
WeChat, as one of thousands of online social products, exists objectively. No matter whether parents control it, minors will use it after all. It is impossible for adults to block minors from social products such as WeChat.
Moreover, with the development of the Internet, the penetration rate of online social products among minors will be higher.
Therefore, we call on parents to not only provide their children with democratic and harmonious intergenerational communication and parenting methods, but also actively undertake educational responsibilities, provide scientific guidance and management to children, and enable children to use various Internet products reasonably.
(The author is the director of the Children's Research Institute of China Youth Research Center)
Sun Hongyan Source: China Youth Daily