Adult's perceptions of the influence of social media on youth: A case study of Matoks Youth in Limpopo Province, South Africa

Abstract

Social networking has become a common international trend that has spread its reach to almost every corner of the world. The use of social media sites has evolved into an online platform where people create content, share it, bookmark it and network at a prodigious rate. Among the prominent users of social media are the youth. This study explored the perception of adults on the influence of social media on youth behaviour change in Matoks, Limpopo Province. The research sample consisted of eighteen (18) respondents, both nine (9) males and nine (9) females, whose ages ranged between 36 and 39 years, who owned mobile phones and who had social media accounts, which enabled them to see what the youth in Matoks are doing compared to what they are exposing themselves to and/or posting on social media. Purposive sampling was adopted to sample the study population members. The method used to collect data was the semi-structured interview. The study found that social media has both positive and negative impacts on youth behaviour change of the young people in Matoks, depending on users’ interests and how they use social media. These findings showed that young people in Matoks use social media platforms such as TikTok, WhatsApp and Facebook to communicate with their friends and families, whereas some use them to receive updates, recent vacancies and news update. The study also found that social media enables young people in Matoks to stay up to date, produce content, and even take part in social activities related to causes that are important to them, including racial justice and climate change. On the contrary, other findings revealed that social media use affects the mental health of the young people in Matoks negatively.