Technology has given today’s teens a massive amount of opportunity.  But without direction, this amazing tool can be a source of confusion, or worse, disillusionment, rather than empowerment.  And with the potential for cyber bullying, the internet and social media can even become a place of fear.

My team has been working with teens over the past year as we’ve crafted an event just for them – the SUREFIRE teen girls conference.  It’s been fascinating to work with these girls and understand not only what they want but how they interact in ways that are markedly different than when I was in high school.  Yet somehow there are things that are still the same.

A couple of statistics before we get to the anecdotes from the girls we met.  You may think that teen girls can never put their phones down, and you’re not wrong. Over 38% of teens in a national survey said they couldn’t go more than 10 minutes without checking a digital device of some kind (E-Marketers report College Students, 2011), with girls sending an average of 80 texts a day.  But even in the midst of all this tech, their favorite way to communicate is still face-to-face.  (Common Sense Media 2012).

Surefire ambassadors and staff

I was most surprised by the fact that, when meeting with teenage girls, they wouldn’t leave our discussions. Focus groups that were scheduled to last one hour ended up lasting two. These girls really wanted to talk and they wanted to be heard.

Our discussions always started off with the same question: “What do you want to talk about that you don’t talk about at school and wouldn’t ask at home?”  The first response was, “I would want to know how to handle money and deal with a credit card.”  That topic came up time and again – that money was scary and so was credit.  One girl even said, “All I know is that my friend went to college, used her credit card and now she’s in a lot of debt.”

Other topics we discussed included how to be taken seriously in business, how to get an internship, how to figure out what to do with their lives, and how to help people in other countries.  Of course, one girl brought up sexting and questions around what they’re able to see on the internet (as we know, it’s a lot).  One girl brought up the topic of race relations in her community and at her school, and what could be done about it.  Another girl was frustrated at the lyrics in music and why they were often degrading towards women.  Since the Victoria’s Secret Fashion show had just taken place, several girls wanted to talk about what that said about beauty, with some being impressed by it and others repulsed.

SUREFIRE ambassadors with New Futuro Staff

My first takeaway from meeting with so many teens was simply a reminder that they have access to far more information than I had and that this can be helpful but sometimes hurtful too.  They can find a website which lists all the possible scholarships to apply to, or find a listing of internships in their area.  But they can also find information on how to starve themselves skinny in ‘Thinspo’ videos.  It’s a double-edged sword.

These girls are being bombarded with more images and more ways of consuming media than I ever could have imagined in my youth.  I still remember the first day MTV launched.  But my second takeaway was that they can also do something about everything they see. They can say something back.

Social media definitely has its negatives, but the upside is that it can also be a powerful tool for good.  When I watched MTV, any opinions I had on what I saw didn’t make it past my living room.  Today’s teens can tweet their thoughts on what they see, write a blog, post on Tumblr, or start a petition or Kickstarter campaign.  They have the ability to make their opinion known, and the opportunity to make an impact beyond my wildest dreams.  That’s exciting.

So how can we, the generation who didn’t grow up with iPads and internet, be guides to the digital natives?  One thing we can do is to help them unlock the power of the internet to do good.  At SUREFIRE, our partners KIVA and Do Something are presenting a session on how to change the world, and we’ll be giving loans right there, on the spot, to women around the world.

What else can we do?  Equip ourselves with the knowledge of what is out there – the good, bad and ugly. We’ve invited Randi Zuckerberg to speak to the parents attending SUREFIRE to talk about just this topic. We all need to navigate this constantly changing landscape before we can provide direction to others. The good thing is that the rules are the same, even though the tools are different.  We’re looking forward to learning a whole lot more.

Posted on 9/23/2013

Written by Heather Mason

Heather is Founder of the SUREFIRE girls conference and is CEO of A Caspian Production, Inc, a conference creation and execution company.  Clients include the Skoll World Forum and Endeavor Global.  When not playing soccer she can be found working crazy hours like an entrepreneur or engaging in social media like a teen.

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