Lower-Income Teens Rely on Facebook More Than Wealthier Peers
*By Amanda Weston*
Teens whose families earn $30,000 or less a year are more likely to rely on Facebook than their wealthier peers. [A Pew Research Center survey](https://qz.com/1355827/do-teens-use-facebook-it-depends-on-their-familys-income/) reported 70 percent of teens in lower-income households still use the platform, compared with only 36 percent of teens in the $75,000 and up bracket.
"A lot of them have to do with resilience and how teens use Facebook to kind of get ahead," said Hanna Kozlowska, a reporter at Quartz. "So they use it for networking for example, because they might not have as much resources as wealthier teens."
About half of all teenagers use Facebook, but Kozlowska said that lower-income students who may not have as much access to resources turn to the social platform to get in touch with teachers, ask for homework help, and create a support network. Their older relatives are also more likely to be on the platform.
The teens who are still on Facebook may not want to spend as much time there as they do, said Kozlowska, and their numbers could dwindle if the adults they usually connect with age or abandon social media.
"Facebook isn't actively doing anything to kind of help them, to elevate them," Kozlowska said, and that the company didn't respond specifically to the Pew study. "They said, 'Oh, yeah, this is just an example of how an ad-based free network is good' right? They didn't particularly elaborate on that," she said.
Facebook had the biggest differences between three income brackets. Instagram and YouTube were the most consistent.
For full interview, [click here] (https://cms.cheddar.com/videos/VmlkZW8tMjIxODQ=).
A Senate bill unveiled on Wednesday looks to tackleonline safety for children by regulating Big Tech and social media platforms to deter users from content that can harm their mental health. Irene Ly, a policy counsel for the age-based ratings and review organization Common Sense Media, joined Cheddar News to break down the potential of the Kids Online Safety Act. "We can't be imposing such a big burden on parents to be doing it all on theirselves," Ly said. "I think you also have to keep in mind that parents often didn't grow up with social media, so they don't understand what it's like to be addicted to social media or really understand how they work."
While many still remain skeptical about the metaverse, big tech firms and even one big bank are ready to expand their virtual worlds. Facebook parent company has pivoted so hard it will now call its employees 'Metamates,' and even JPMorgan Chase has created its own digital lounge on one virtual platform. While the sector remains young, there seems to be significant investment opportunity, especially with companies like Nvidia. Adam Johnson, a portfolio strategist at Adviser Investments, joins Closing Bell to discuss which companies could win in this space, consumer appetite, and more.
Marc Blinder, Co-Founder and CEO of Aikon, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he discusses how his company is helping businesses use blockchain applications without needing to learn the intricacies of the new technology.
Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) have introduced a new bill to afford greater protection to minors on social media. The genesis of the Kids Online Safety Act came from a Facebook whistleblower case exposing the harm apps can have on the mental health of young girls.
Ride share competitors Uber and Lyft both posted their fourth quarter earnings days apart from each other. Both companies have been trying to get back on their feet after taking some pandemic-related hits, but the Omicron variant had other ideas as the year came to a close, with each company taking a hit in ridership in December. Lance Ippolito, head trader at The Future of Wealth explains how Uber and Lyft measured up this earnings period and why Uber may still have an edge over the competition.
