A compiled report on the state of social media The Redwood Bark

In an effort to spotlight an issue that impacts our community and generation, the Bark came together to create a collaborative project addressing social media. Reporters from each section of the publication contributed their unique perspectives — whether through news coverage, feature stories, opinion pieces or multimedia content — to build deep, well-rounded coverage of the topic. The goal is to inform, engage and spark meaningful conversations surrounding both topics within Redwood and beyond. Explore each section below to see how different angles and voices came together to tell this story.

"It's normalized to post all of the bikini pictures and videos because that's what the guys want you to do," Rodgers said.

58 percent of students felt as though social media portrays underage drinking and substance use as casual and normalized.

Body dissatisfaction is a widespread issue among teens, and experts point to social media as a major contributing factor.

A recent trend on TikTok, known as “Sephora Kids,” was a hot topic in the past year.

During the 2024 presidential campaign, Trump utilized social media to project his image as a strong, masculine figure willing to listen to young, working-class men.

To prevent the spread of misinformation on social media, there are certain techniques and issues to be aware of.

Illustrations by Lucy Jeffers

CREATED BY
Hilah B.