feature
Meet the Jewish Teens Whose
Social Media
Experience Is Better Than You Think
Micole Friedman | JTA.org
t the SAR High School, an Orthodox
Jewish day school in Riverdale,
New York, teens participate in anti-ha-
rassment training every fall.

Students listen carefully as faculty
list the dangers of TikTok, the potential
social isolation resulting from exces-
sive social media use and the negative
implicit messaging — both Jewish and
otherwise — that often pervades these
platforms. Yet for many Jewish teens and
young adults, social media provides
the opposite eff ect by furnishing them
with a voice, community and alternate
avenues for exploring identity.

Olivia Fertig, a student at the
Orthodox Ramaz High School in
Manhattan, acknowledges that social
media might tempt her to one-up
someone with a better post or photo,
but she also feels connected to the
people whose posts she comments
on or likes. “Social media allows me
to interact with other Jews and come
across Jewish content which teaches
me more about how other Jews live,”
she said.

Despite the risks involved, 35% of
teens use YouTube, Tiktok, Instagram,
18 APRIL 6, 2023 | JEWISH EXPONENT
Petro Bylo / iStock / Getty Images Plus
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