6 Minute English / Young women on social media

Note: This is not a word-for-word transcript.

Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Neil.

And I'm Beth. In this programme, we're discussing the positives and negatives of social media in the lives of young people. And this is a really trending topic at the moment because of what's happening in Australia, where a new law to limit under 16-year-olds access to social media is being debated. Neil, tell me one good thing and one bad thing about having social media in your life.

Well, one good thing is it means I can see what friends are doing who live far away and one bad thing is it's really addictive and a massive waste of time.

Well, it's interesting to hear a man's perspective, Neil, because when it comes to issues like cyber-bullying, it's often young women who are most affected, so soon we'll be hearing from women in different countries about their online experiences. And remember you can find all the vocabulary and a worksheet on our website, bbclearningenglish.com.

But first I have a question for you, Beth. In 2024, which was the most regularly used social media platform in the world? Was it:

a) Facebook?b) Instagram? orc) TikTok?

Oh, I'm going to say TikTok.

Well, we'll find out the answer at the end of the programme. Now, let's start with the positive side of social media. As a politics student at Oklahoma University, twenty-one-year-old Haleigh Hurst campaigned in the 2024 US presidential election. Here, she explains one benefit of social media to BBC World Service programme, Pick of the World:

I do think social media has played a huge role in educating young voters on different policies and different people who are running. I know Trump has recently said that he has a soft spot in his heart for TikTok. With the growth of social media it has sparked a lot more debates. I think my generation too has seen so many climactic things happen.