Many students have already formed strong opinions on politics before even being eligible to vote, but what influences them to have these views? Parents and family are a great factor in shaping teenagers’ political views. Other factors, like social media, sway teens’ opinions every day.
The Times conducted a survey to determine the influences on students’ political views. We found that eight out of 13 students have families with strong opinions regarding politics. Four of our students said that their parents talked about politics sometimes, and only one said their family didn’t talk about politics.
The Times also asked, “Do you agree with your family’s opinions regarding politics?” 11 students said yes, and two students said no. This shows that the majority of students agree with their family regarding politics, and family tends to be a leading factor in determining a student’s political views.
Maddie Means is a freshman at Lafayette High School. We asked her where she gets the most reliable information about politics. She said she gets her information from TikTok, her parents’ conversations about current events, and online websites. She also uses social media like Snapchat and Instagram.
A big part of politics is campaigning. Candidates send text messages, go on campaign trails, and post on social media. Almost every teenager has at least one social media app. Along with that, nearly every teenager has a phone. They get texts, see their social media, and what is going on and what certain politicians are doing. They have become more politically aware of what is happening because of what is getting posted on their social media.
Every current high school student at Lafayette will be able to vote in the next presidential election. No matter where you get your information from, we are all somewhat politically aware of what is going on around us and what can and will affect us. Whether that is because of the people around us, the social media we use, or if we have managed to make these opinions on our own, we all know what is going on and continue to grow in our knowledge.
