Under the Radar — The Real Way Social Media Algorithms Shape Teen Politics

This article was a winning submission of the 2025 AllSides Student Journalism Contest.
By Carson Ramon Fusco, Grade 11, New Jersey, Center Bias

As Teens Scroll, a Different Political Story Emerges
For years, public debate around social media has focused on one idea: that TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube feed teenagers political content that pushes them toward extremism. The theory is simple — and popular among both politicians and parents — but current research paints a more complicated picture. Algorithms do shape what teens see, but the effect is not the mass radicalization headline writers often suggest. Instead, teens describe something else entirely: confusion, pressure, and political exhaustion.