Teens, Social Media, and Relationships: An Interview with Kaveri Subrahmanyam

By definition, social media involves people connecting with others using electronic communication. How do youth use social media in their own relationships? And, has research shown anything about its effects? Those are the questions we have posed to Dr. Kaveri Subrahmanyam, a developmental psychologist who has written widely on adolescents’ use of social media. In this interview we explore why social media is different from other forms of communication, if electronic communication impacts teens’ ability to interact face-to-face, and how social media might be connecting youth and their family members.