A study led by University College Dublin reveals that teenagers possess a sophisticated understanding of social media algorithms and actively seek greater control over their digital environments, challenging the prevailing narrative of adolescent passivity. Research presented at the 25th Interaction Design and Children Conference analyzed data from 87 secondary school students aged 15 to 18 across Ireland, who participated in workshops and focus groups to evaluate their experiences on platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Participants demonstrated an acute awareness of algorithmic mechanisms, recognizing that these systems interpret even fleeting attention as engagement, thereby reinforcing echo chambers and repeatedly surfacing harmful content. First author Megan Nyhan emphasized that while platforms offer benefits, students frequently felt powerless against boundary violations. Users reported being exposed to violent imagery, pornography, hate speech, and emotionally manipulative material, often through gradual escalations triggered by innocuous interactions. For instance, searching for fashion content on TikTok was cited as a pathway to explicit sexual material. Adolescent girls specifically highlighted risks associated with unsolicited and predatory messages from older men. The research indicates that teens are not merely passive consumers but active navigators who assess risks and rewards. However, frustration with existing safety infrastructure remains high. Students described reporting and moderation tools as ineffective and overly complex, leading many to rely on manually scrolling past unwanted posts in hopes of recalibrating algorithmic recommendations. Despite these challenges, participants rejected calls for abandoning personalized recommendations or banning social media entirely. Instead, they advocated for transparent systems that allow direct feedback to algorithms, enabling users to dictate content preferences more accurately. Recommendations from the cohort included stronger age-appropriate safeguards, enhanced content filters, clearer explanations for content visibility, improved screen-time management, and responsive mechanisms for rejecting unwanted material. The researchers emphasized that teenagers should be recognized as key stakeholders in platform governance. Given the frequency of youth usage and the immediacy of their experience, the study argues for the formal inclusion of young people in design decisions. These findings hold particular significance for the European Union's Digital Services Act, which mandates consultations with groups affected by systemic online risks. The authors contend that meaningful participation by adolescents is essential for creating safer, more accountable digital environments and ensuring that regulatory frameworks reflect the actual concerns of the platform's youngest users.