Digital Smarts - Teens Find Talking in Person Awkward After Social Media

Jamie Shannon, a certified teen life coach from Washington State, contends that teens feel awkward when they have to communicate in the real world, not just with strangers but also friends and peers, because of anxiety brought on by social media. Shannon has found that teens are admitting that after spending hours on social networking sites they have trouble communicating both in person and over the phone with people they don’t know very well. To counteract this issue, Shannon advocates a "technology free time" daily. She also reminds parents “to be aware of what's going on online so when or if something major does happen teens can come to them."