For many, WhatsApp’s blue checkmarks are a helpful feature that indicates whether a message has been read.
For some, however, these so-called “read receipts” are problematic, since they place pressure on the recipient of the message to answer quickly and generate anxiety among those who are awaiting a response.
Not only does WhatsApp have read receipts, but so do all of the main social media and messaging applications, such as Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Snapchat, iMessage, Google Messenger, Telegram, and Signal.
Now, a new study suggests that read receipts may be detrimental to the mental health of young adolescents, with researchers discovering a pattern they label ‘availability stress
The ‘read’ or ‘seen’ app function creates a sense of urgency for teens to respond promptly to their friends’ messages, as described by study participants.
In contrast, participants stated that they expected their friends to answer immediately to their messages, going so far as to “stalk” friends who were sluggish to respond by sending them a message through a separate app.
The author of the study, Joris Van Ouytsel of Arizona State University, stated, “Our findings indicate that many adolescents experience at least one form of digital stress.”
Certain social media features, such as “like” buttons and “seen-function,” might exacerbate their stress and hurt their connections with their friends.
The study, which was published in the Elsevier journal Telematics and Informatics, explored the relationship between adolescents’ perceptions of stress in their friendships and their usage of digital media.
Arizona State University researchers conducted nine focus group interviews with 51 secondary school students aged 13 to 16 in Belgium.
The participants identified four primary characteristics that impact whether they expect people to reply swiftly to their communications or whether they feel the need to respond quickly themselves.
These included whether the recipient had read the message, whether they were being “stalked” for a response, how concerned they were about avoiding conflict with the recipient, and the urgency of the communication itself.
In each of the nine focus groups, participants expressed annoyance if they did not receive an instant response after a friend received their text messages.
Even though the ‘read-feature’ and ‘online’ elements of social media increased the pressure to answer quickly, five out of nine focus groups of young people indicated that they would not want to live without these features.
They utilized these to confirm that the recipient read the message. This allowed them to send reminders to those who had received a message but had not yet responded.
Depending on who the teenager is messaging, expectations change. Seven of the nine focus group members answered that if it was a close friend, they would respond immediately, regardless of what they were doing at the moment.
However, six of the nine focus groups reported that they frequently disregard messages from acquaintances.
When it came to managing patent messages, the opinions of adolescents were divided.
Four of the nine focus groups said that they would instantly open and respond to a message from a parent if necessary, while three indicated that they would not respond promptly or would intentionally not open or read a message.
The study also addressed the stress produced by excessive smartphone notifications and communications.
Participants reported feeling overwhelmed by a large number of notifications and finding it difficult to prioritize them.
The researchers conclude that their findings show that many young adolescents experience some type of digital stress.
These views are bolstered by technology features such as the “seen-function” in messaging software, which could generate a sense of urgency to respond to messages.
They propose that media literacy education could address the multiple causes and effects of digital pressures.
For instance, educators might have conversations with their kids about healthy relationships, digital citizenship, and the social norms that create the expectation that teenagers’ friendships will be constantly online.
