85. How Student Social Media Trends Are Impacting School Marketing with Laura Tierney

The following content has been automatically generated by an AI system from the audio recording of this podcast. We cannot guarantee the accuracy, or completeness of the information provided, and we apologize for any errors.

Tara: Welcome to mindful school marketing. 

Aubrey: I’m Tara clays. And I’m Aubrey Bush. Today we’re joined by Laura Tierney. Laura is founder and CEO of the Social Institute, which partners with schools around the country to empower students to navigate their social world, including social media and technology to fuel their health, happiness, and future success.

A digital native herself, Laura bridges the gap between adults and students as one of the nation’s leading pioneers in positive social media education. Welcome, Laura. We’re so excited you’re joining us today. It’s great 

Tara: to be here. Thanks for having me. Yes, we’re excited to talk with you today. Can you tell us a little bit more about yourself before we dive in?

Laura: Sure. So as a digital native, I got my first phone when I was 13 years old, and it is nothing like the one I own today. I was definitely in the camp of 10 cent text messages to my best friends and ran up the phone bill. And, um, and then social media Uh, come out and I was in middle school and high school and I, I three out of my four jobs.

Thanks to social media. Um, I worked in social media and, uh, at ESPN and a few other wonderful places working with great brands and, um, along the way I got to work more and more closely with students about what I was learning about social media. Um, and how, uh, just its connection to marketing and privacy and data and so much more.

And that was some of the seeds that, uh, started the Social Institute. Um, I founded the organization eight years ago and, um, we’re so proud to partner with, uh, independent schools. Um, and public schools across the United States and Canada and, and it’s just a labor of love. So happy, happy to 

Aubrey: do it. Yeah, we’re so glad that you started this.

Um, I particularly enjoyed, um, I had one of your team members gave a presentation, um, at the Virginia Association Independent School Conference, the VIS. And I found it quite informative. Like I know about social media, I’m rounded, I’m in marketing. But I really appreciated, um, how your team provided insights into like the current social media trends among middle school and high school age students.

Um, so it’d be great. Could you tell us as we kick off this topic a little bit more about the most popular channels within these age groups and maybe any trends you’re seeing associated with them? 

Laura: Yeah, happy to. So for context, this data captured whenever we work with schools, um, we gathered together insights from tens of thousands of students across the U.

1. and Canada, and so some of the findings, uh, that we gathered from this academic school year, 2022, 2020, uh, 2023, 2024, um, you know, no surprise that, you know, Um, the majority of middle school students have access to a smartphone and, uh, they get that first smartphone. Many of them get it around the age of 11 years old.

And so many parents are and in school, they’re asking, like, how do we ease students into technology instead of just like waiting till eighth and giving them a cell phone? And then they have unlimited kind of access to this world of tech and, um, that 11 years old, uh, is notable because obviously, the yeah, Minimum age requirement for many apps out there is 13 years old because of copa.

And so, um, you, you have this, um, gap that adults are trying to figure out. Um, I think another trend that that we’re seeing is, you know, YouTube continues to take home the gold medal when it comes to top apps for those younger, uh, primary students in elementary, like around 3rd, 4th, 5th grade. But it’s also number one for middle school students.

And then probably no surprise, which this might change soon, given the conversations happening on the federal level, but TikTok is in the lead for those upper school students, followed by, uh, followed by Snapchat. And so Instagram is not even in the top three, but we will see how that changes depending on what, what comes of, uh, of TikTok.

And the other thing I, um, I think is interesting is that we learned that, um, Nearly three out of four students are getting their news from social media. Um, and so obviously the importance of, uh, teaching media literacy and how do you evaluate, uh, the credibility of what you’re reading is so important. I know that I rely on my Apple news app to get the majority of my news.

And so just like, what, what filters are you applying? Just a different use of the social media filters, I suppose. Um, instead of on photos, it’s like what filters can we apply to the news that we received? But I think one of the main trends, uh, to me and the ahas that I had is this is something that is ever evolving and changing every day.

And so while TikTok is in the lead right now, it might be different two months from now. And so, uh, how can parents and schools lock arms to help each other navigate this real, um, ever changing terrain? 

Tara: It’s super interesting to think about how much power students have because of social media and as marketers when we think about, you know, how we are, um, who are marketing to because of social media, I think it’s changed a lot in that we’re There is an opportunity to speak directly to the students, not going through the parents now because of social media.

Um, so I find this to be a little scary and also, you know, exciting at the same time because it allows you to do some more creative things, probably with your social media. Um, and I know you’ve just talked about the different platforms, but, um. Do do students gravitate toward video? I’m assuming like stories and those types of things.

Those are easily consumed one after the other. But what can you say a little bit about sort of the format? Not just the platforms that they’re using. 

Laura: No, that is such a great question because I think as I remember when I was at ESPN working in marketing, you thought of it as platforms. And I think the future of this is really thinking more about the format and how so many platforms now are adopting like short video, given how popular that is among, you know, Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram, you name it.

And so I even feel like when you say YouTube now, students think about YouTube shorts. Like, they don’t think about long YouTube videos. And so, um, I definitely think that, uh, school, uh, YouTube channel, uh, videos Videos challenge you to be very authentic in your content because they capture kind of a side of you or the school that’s very real.

And so, um, I, I continue to find that Reels on Instagram or YouTube Shorts continue to get high engagement among students. And so, Like any, uh, any marketing strategy, you know, thinking about your audience, both the adults and students, but I think video is something that works well across those audiences.

Aubrey: That’s fascinating. I mean, I’ve seen it, you know, upwards trend and video usage and the need for authenticity across the board. So I appreciate you mentioning that. Um, Tara did talk a little bit about kind of, you know, how, how we’re marketing to students, essentially, essentially, like as independent schools and using social media channels to do that.

Um, we’re also noticing a trend that like middle and high school students are increasingly involved in like shaping their educational experiences, making those decisions. Um, so what we see is admissions and marketing offices in independent and private schools are looking to their current students to help create content that resonates with prospective students.

I’m wondering like, especially with everything you, you see the student side, you see the adult side of things in terms of social media and everything that’s going on, you know, how can school leaders respectfully engage students in this collaborative process of creating content? 

Laura: Ash, so that question makes me Jump back to my days at ESPN when we started this student all star program and students could collaborate with ESPN on the content that we were putting out on social media.

And this was like back in like, I don’t know, 2010, 2011, and that, that thread holds true until like through today that school could be coaching up and kind of coaching the adults on what are the latest ways to use these platforms in authentic, real, relatable ways. And so, obviously, schools have, I think, mastered the art of the student takeover and empowering students to use their voices for good and take over the social media account.

Like, There’s no better way to learn something than have to do it yourself. And so students are also learning like digital literacy and the importance of respecting privacy and thinking about what you post when they have this opportunity. And then, you know, I think have consulting students, um, having a think tank where you could.

Um, I always pull out, um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Inspiration from brands out there that are, I think, so student centered. If you look at Duolingo, if you look at, um, you know, Khan Academy, if you look at Nike, they have an aura about them that like, they really put students, I think, first or teenagers first, and then the parents happen to like go along for the ride because the students are, and so also asking them to share inspiration with you about what brands they’re following and why it could be really useful.

Tara: Thanks. Yeah, I think it adds a whole level of effort here for school marketers to be thinking this way, which is, which is really new. And, um, I’m sure maybe a little bit scary for some of our listeners to think about, uh, this whole new approach that they need to be taking. And they probably have been for a little while, but it’s just become more and more, uh, apparent.

Um, so I think as As we are, as educational leaders, as parents, many of us, you know, we have the responsibility to provide support and guidance. Um, and that includes understanding the challenges that students encounter. There’s been a lot of coverage in the media about the mental health, um, uh, symptoms of social media.

I mean, you think about an 11 year old, how not mature their maturity level is and, and Snapchat where they can see where their friends are all the time. I think I would. Have a hard time as a child with that. So I know that’s one, that’s one challenge that’s covered a lot. But do you have, can you talk a little bit about specific challenges that students face anticipating the coming years with social media and how can we as school leaders, as administrators, as parents to, I don’t want to get off the target of school administrators too much, but many of us also, there’s a, there’s a, there’s an overlap there.

Um, you know, um, can you talk a little bit about those challenges?

Laura: Absolutely. And the, I, I, before I share this, the challenges, I think it’s important to, oh gosh, sorry, my earbud. Good. Could I say, I didn’t start that one that strong either. So bound to happen. Um, yes. And great question. There are so many challenges that, that stem from social media and technology and online gambling and just this, this world that students are navigating.

Um, and for every challenge, there is also a positive I believe that technology can have on our lives. Um, the trick is really helping students, um, navigate the, the challenges, um, by focusing on what positive moves they could make. And so, you know, we hear students facing, uh, challenges from, you know, FOMO and that fear of missing out, um, though some students are replacing it with JOMO and the joy of missing out, um, nearly, uh, a half of seventh graders, um, Um, in our our win at social program that students run across the nation reported that they feel pressured to reply to a text message from a family member, like a parent or a guardian within 10 minutes of receiving it.

And just that pressure to reply right away, not to mention the pressure they feel with friends, um, group chat drama. Whether a child is nine years old or 19 years old is fair game and how something could get easily misinterpreted when there’s no tone of voice or body language that, or emoji that accompanies a text message.

And then, um, independent schools are seeing, um, more and more use cases of explicit content, whether that be, uh, fake and generated by ai, uh, or if it’s, uh, content that was. truly, uh, just, you know, shared by a student. And so, um, with every one of these challenges, I think it’s so helpful that, that schools also and parents highlight the positive mood, like not just the don’ts, but what can you do in these different situations?

Like if, if your student or your child receives, um, a Fake, uh, explicit content that might be generated by A. I, which is very fair game these days. Um, we encourage students to use this like shield approach. Um, S. H. I. E. L. D. Um, stop. And so when you receive any explicit images, like take a moment to just pause and don’t react compulsively, uh, huddle, huddle with a trusted adult.

Um, I for inform and inform the social media platform by flagging it. You could then collect evidence by, um, taking a screenshot or it, you know, in some way, if it’s really hurtful to you, step five is just limit and block the person who sent it. And then of course, the, uh, for direct. And if, if people reach out to you about what happened, just direct them about what they could do to help you.

And so, uh, with every challenge we face, there’s so many different positive moves and just keeping our focus on the positives can help us navigate this

Aubrey: Thanks so much for sharing that. Um, I, as a mom of a 12 year old and who has recently had conversations with my husband about phone or no phone and your stats that you threw earlier were interesting. I’m like, I guess we’re in the minority at this point. Um, but I, I think it’s so important. Like the, the, that shield piece, the conversations, the, you know, the opportunity versus.

You know, it’s not all negative. We have to think about what are the positives and then it’s just a learning process, right? Um, so I really appreciate you talking about that. Um, I would like to transition a little bit, um, to talk about, um, what you mentioned earlier about TikTok and like regulations and things that are happening perhaps now and maybe in the coming months or even the coming year.

Um, what are you seeing and what do you think might be some of those shifts? Um, because I’m, you know, as always, social media platforms, all this is constantly changing. And, you know, from today to tomorrow, a new one might pop up and become the next thing. So I’d love to hear your input on this particular thing.

Laura: When I think about the idea of a new platform popping up that students, you know, flock to, I think about being a Uh, 7th or 8th grader and going to the mall on a Friday night with my friends in small town Pennsylvania where I grew up. And I don’t know about you both, but, uh, where I grew up, the thing to do was to go to the mall on a Friday night.

And your friends were there and you didn’t have any money with you, right? You just like walked around the mall. You didn’t buy anything Maybe an auntie ann’s pretzel and you sat down at the food court And if your parent Or guardian or parents ever showed up at that food court when you were sitting there with your auntie ann’s pretzel with your friends You would get out of there and go someplace else and like love love my mom and dad but I would get out of there and because that’s my like social place to be with my friends and um, You know, parents showed up at that mall of Facebook, right?

10 years ago. And the students were like, We’re heading over to Instagram and then the parents were like, Oh, Instagram, what is this? Let’s go. And then they’re like, we’re heading to Snapchat. And that’s the challenge with parents is they are always arriving at the old mall and students are then heading over to the next mall.

Regardless, I think of what happens with the the ban, you know, tick tock, there are other platforms that are starting to emerge right now among students. Lemon 8 is one of them that we’re hearing be really popular with high school students that I could see trickle down into K 8. Coincidentally, it is owned by the same company as TikTok.

It’s owned by ByteDance, and so there’s going to be some really interesting ethical discussions that students can have of, well, because TikTok is banned, what does that mean for Instagram that might equally collect as much data, but be a company based here in the, in the States? What I recommend to schools is to Use these moments that are going on in current events to be a catalyst for conversation with students.

And yes, it’s also a nice time to reflect about on your marketing strategy, but it’s an equally powerful time to help students build their critical thinking skills and whether they are 12 years old and they don’t have a TikTok account yet, they can still be thinking, Why does this matter? And how can I take these, you know, uh, takeaways and apply them to business?

a group chat, you know, um, that I’m in or an online video game that I play. Um, but I don’t know if there will ever be a world where the parents are at the new mall before the students are. And so we’re constantly just playing this game of, of catch up. And so continuing to huddle with students to me is, is, is a win win.

Tara: So interesting. Thank you very much. Um, I’m going to ask one more question, which, um, is related, but I just heard a story this morning, which made me think about our conversation today, which was that, um, how schools are managing the use of devices during the school day. And there was, uh, there’s a school that was doing a test where they have, like, some kind of magnetic.

Closed locker where the students can’t access their phone during the day. And what they’ve noticed in those schools, bathroom breaks are shorter. Kids are, you know, spending less time, um, wasting time. And I’m just wondering because, because the phones have become such a big thing for all of us, me included, um, you know, I, I have often wondered how schools are going to navigate this as it gets worse and worse, because it’s got to really impact the The way that they operate.

And as a marketing tool, like as a parent, if I’m looking at a school that is offering this kind of an opportunity or requirement for students to lock their phones away as a parent, that would be a huge draw for me, I think. So I wonder what your thoughts are on that. And as marketers, if that’s something that should be Um, you know, discussed and talked about for independent schools who have these types of, of programs.

Laura: Wow, what a very, uh, timely topic, because I think there are, um, schools that do want to buckle down, um, and then the parents are sitting over here saying, well, wait a second, I need to get in touch with my child, and then the marketer is sitting right in the middle, being like, well, wait, we need to talk to the parents, and we need to represent the school, and how do we, how do we do both when the parents are Um, uh, can be torn on this subject versus where the school stands.

Um, I mean, I think of this education around social media very much like driver’s ed, and we are giving the students these these keys to the car, and they’re going off and driving and using them in different ways and parents give them the keys to the car with a personal device and schools are giving them the keys to the car with the school issued device.

Um, and then we’re confiscating the keys. At moments, and we’re not as focused nearly on driver’s ed, and just helping them drive the car in a thoughtful way. And so I, I mean, I’m a, our team at the Social Institute, we’re big believers in empower and equip instead of scare and restrict. And we have a, an obligation, uh, as we give students these devices, uh, to help them build these mental muscles.

And kind of unlock different milestones to be able to use it, uh, thoughtfully and respectfully. So, um, I, I think it’s like everything, it’s, it’s a balance, but I think investing as much time and care and energy in the education, the driver’s ed of social media is as important as investing those resources and energy to thinking about how you manage the keys.

To the car and, um, and I think marketer in an extraordinary seat because. They are very close to the world of social media, and they understand it well, and many are often parents and might empathize with what parents want, and so it gives you this, to me, next level of empathy to be a bridge between school policies and what parents are trying to do.

And so I think marketers, 100 percent need a seat at the table as we think about education of this topic in schools, because I think marketers bring a strong voice about how this is not going away. It’s actually core to society and how we connect and how we socialize. And I think there’s great insights that could be taken, um, from the marketing team and how the school approaches that.

Tara: Yeah, that’s really I’m glad I asked this question because that’s, that’s a really good answer. And when I think about the question that I asked, maybe what’s emphasized in the marketing for independent schools and the policies that they’re implementing is, is leaning more toward teaching kids how to use the devices and the technology responsibly versus locking them away, like you said.

So maybe that’s the marketing message in terms of Your, you know, your programs and your curriculum and your approach, uh, is that might be even more appealing. So thanks so much for sharing that. That was great. 

Aubrey: Yeah, I think as well. Okay. 

Tara: Yeah. No, I was gonna say, and I think now it’s time to move on to our, um, Our mindful question.

Aubrey: Yes, absolutely. So, um, through the lens of our podcast, we talk about mindfulness. It’s mindful school marketing podcast. Um, and then we talk about how it applies to school leaders. So how do you see mindfulness lived out on social media and through your work with students in schools?

Laura: Well, I feel. Like, social media can help us be mindful about, uh, the choices that we make and who we learn from, um, who we surround ourselves with influences the five inches between our ears, and, um, social media allows us to see this world of role models, some, some good and some maybe not so good, and, um, you know, I believe students can’t be what they can’t see, and so, We can use social media to be mindful, um, and, uh, positive with those choices to for the, for the benefit of ourselves and our reputations and our well being, but also for the benefit of our school and representing something much bigger than ourselves.

Tara: Thank you. All right, let’s jump into our rapid fire questions. These are fun and um, hopefully you have had a chance to look at them or else we’re gonna get them on the spot. So the first rapid fire question is, if you could put one book as mandatory reading in the high school curriculum, what would it be?

Laura: I’ll never forget reading as a college student, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey, and it changed my mindset as a student. I would be reading that if I could in high school. 

Aubrey: Excellent. An oldie but a goodie, right? Right. Timeless. It is timeless. Um, I’m so curious about your answer to this one.

What is one app you couldn’t live without? 

Laura: I could never, ever live without my Notes app on my iPhone. I share my notes with other people so I could collaborate to like my own little Google Doc that’s easily accessible. I mean, I have packing lists. Upcoming trip things I’m grateful for all in my notes app.

Tara: Yeah, I use my notes app and google a lot Uh, what are you reading right now? I 

Laura: am reading a lot of News articles in my apple. I’m not reading a book right now I feel like I uh as the founder and ceo of a company that tries to stay on top of current events as best as we can Um, I dedicate a lot of time to my apple news app and just reading Seeing what conversations are going on.

Um in the the zeitgeist of K 12. And so, um, I’m, I’m reading a lot about the TikTok ban. Um, I’m reading a lot about yonder pouches. Um, I’m reading, uh, um, you know, a lot about the middle school students transitioning to high school. I’m reading a lot about online gambling, uh, especially around March Madness and how that has hit record breaking levels this year.

And students, would you believe it? Are right now the number one demographic calling into gambling, uh, self help line. So, um, there’s, there’s a lot to read and cover in the, in around those topics. 

Aubrey: Uh, wow. I guess I will be reading about student gambling. That’s on my list now. Thank you. Uh, yeah. Sounds like you have to stay on top of a lot of different topics and things.

Um, what is one great piece of advice you’d like to leave us with? 

Laura: Social media can get a rap that it’s just for students, and it’s not. Um, it’s one of the greatest connectors in the world, and it could bridge a gap between students and adults. It could bridge a gap between schools and families. It could bridge a gap between schools and students.

And so, um, I think it is at the heart of school culture. And your social media, uh, and email, um, can represent school culture. And so that would be kind of one piece of advice I have if I was, um, a marketer at a school right now is how could I really tap into social media to best represent our, our core values as a school and what makes us tick.

Tara: Great. Thank you very much. We’re really so grateful that you joined us today, Laura, where can people find you online? 

Laura: Better believe we are on social media. Uh, and you could also find us on our website, uh, the social institute. com. Um, we have an awesome weekly newsletter. It’s called the huddle and educators across the nation subscribe to it to stay on top of the latest trends that students care about, especially related to social media.

So you can also check that out. 

Aubrey: Yeah, I think I subscribed to that. It’s great. Thank you so much for being here and sharing all this wonderful knowledge with us and our small, our school leaders nationwide. 

Tara: Yeah, of course. Thanks for having me. Thanks. Have a great day.