A local University of Northern BC student is seeking teenagers within the Smithers community for their input on how social media has changed news consumption.
According to Savannah Parsons, the project is for all ages but her portion is for teenagers.
She added that she is looking for approximately 50 participants.
The survey that has been created is examining how social media is more prevalent regarding the way people consume news especially with the possibility of the voting age being lowered to 16.
Parsons said that she believes that teenagers are more involved in politics than people think.
“I’m on TikTok all of the time and I see constant engagement with political climate, voting and it seems like there is more interest than when I was in high school because people can talk to other people their same age, see what they believe in and what their values are ,” she said.
Parsons added that she believes social media is an important platform to look into.
She said that the possibility of having the opportunity to vote at a younger age is exciting for local teenagers.
“When I was about 16 I wanted to vote really badly and so, I think now with tik tok and seeing a lot of older people who are allowed to vote being really engaged in this stuff I think there’s more interest than people think there is,” Parsons said.
Anyone wishing to participate in the survey are being encouraged to email Parsons at [email protected] or through the study’s Instagram at @youth_x_unbcresearch.
The survey is due on May 30.