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Are teens turning away from Facebook?

By Michelle Murillo

WASHINGTON – Facebook accounts are so prevalent that the social media giant brags about its 1.1 billion users worldwide. But, the social media giant admits its seeing a decrease in daily usage among teens.

“Kids still have Facebook accounts, but they aren’t necessarily that excited about them anymore,” says Amanda Lenhart, senior researcher and the director of teens and technology research at the Pew Research Center.

She says they have noticed in past studies and recent focus groups that teens are showing fatigue when it comes to Facebook. They’re turning to other websites and apps, Lenhart says, because they feel they have to maintain a certain image on Facebook.

“There are a lot of different people on Facebook, including a lot of adults, parents, family members, people from your church — all of whom make it more complicated to be there,” Lenhart said.

“You have to be the same person to your mother as you do to your best friend as you do to your chemistry partner, and that isn’t how we operate in real life,” she said.

“I feel like my Facebook isn’t even me. It is what I want people to think, like adults who see it,” says Eloise, a ninth grader from D.C., when asked about why she has slowed down on her Facebook use.

So where are teens headed? Lenhart says Twitter usage has spiked among teens.

“It gives them a chance to have their voices be heard and participate in conversation in ways where people don’t really necessarily know how old they are. They get to have their ideas and kind of mill around in the soup of conversation that we have like adults do,” Lenhart said.

Kids are turning to sites, such as Tumblr, a blog-style site, and image-sharing platforms and apps such as Instagram (owned by Facebook) and SnapChat. SnapChat is popular because pictures sent on it are deleted after they’re viewed.

Instant messaging apps such as Kik and Whats App are growing as well. The services offer free text messaging and sharing of multimedia files among friends.

Will teens ditch Facebook altogether? Maybe. Grace, a ninth grader from the D.C., says, “I think Facebook will go out of style, kind of like MySpace.”

Lenhart says it’s here to stay.

“A lot of teens still have a lot of information and these big important networks on Facebook,” she says.

Some of the new sites and apps:

  • SnapChat

    • A photo-messaging application where a user can share photos among friends but control how many times a person can view it before it is deleted.

  • Instagram

    • An online photo- and video-sharing website, owned by Facebook, where users can apply digital filters to the content they upload.

  • Vine

    • A site that limits users to 6-second video clips that can be shared with other users on the site.

  • WhatsApp

    • A free smartphone-based instant messenger which also allows the sharing of pictures, videos and audio.

  • Kik

    • A popular text-messaging app available for smartphones that allows users to communicate without a text-messaging plan. Media files can also be shared in messages.

  • Tumblr

    • A micro-blogging website, owned by Yahoo, that allows users to post pictures and videos to a short-form blog.

  • Twitter

    • Post messages for the world to see in 140 characters or less.

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Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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