Dating for teens ain’t like it used to be, for better and worse



When it comes to dating and socializing, times have changed.

Today’s teens aren’t limited to interacting with just those in their neighborhood or high school. Social media has expanded their world and their ability to connect.

“There’s a whole kind of term called ‘sliding into DMs,’” said Jalen Johnson, a senior at Seattle’s Summit Sierra school.

The term refers to sending someone on social media a direct message in an attempt to connect.

“A lot of the time no personal interaction between people actually occurs before that,” he added.

It’s Kids Week here at Q13 News, when we hear from kids in our community to spotlight their biggest challenges.

The goal is to help us all be better parents and grandparents, by understanding what our kids are facing.

Social media may be the biggest difference between socializing today and the way it used to be, kids said. For better, and worse.

“I think a lot of times people will assume this identity on social media that’s completely different from their persona in real life,” Johnson said, “and that leads to some bad things.”