Teenagers know that news is important; we like to think we are “up” on what is happening. Sharing news, however, is even more important, whether it be on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or another other social network.

We share news constantly among friends, be it in the form of videos, comment, cartoons or audio. Breaking exciting news brings kudos. So a new app, such as the BBC News app launched this week, has to earn its position on my iPhone.

According to a survey by the youth writing website Movellas.com, in 2012 just 26% of teenagers read paid-for newspapers, whilst 56% got their news from Twitter. About 56% regularly posted links on social networks like Facebook to share news stories - and that figure is likely to have risen with more videos.

The new BBC News app crams in its news stories, giving the reader the chance to look up the most-read and most-watched stories. The hub of the app shows the top, up-to-date stories of the day, putting the reader at the forefront of what is happening. But, the best new feature is the inclusion of tagging.

Tagging is not new for many of us; the feature is used in many social networks such as Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr to look up specific articles linked to the subject you are searching for. Yet, the BBC has given the feature a new spin.

To personalise news stories you can add specific tags, varying from specific current events such as “Ebola crisis”, to general categories, such as “Tennis”, allowing you to access the latest content with a swipe of a finger. I have tagged topics such as “Music”, which I follow for new influences and the latest sounds, and to follow up on music events (eg Radio 1’s announcement of Norwich to host their Big Weekend); whilst I have also tagged “Guildford” for the latest on where I live, something that many teenagers want to know more about – what’s happening, where, and can I afford to go?

There are also tags such as “Islamic State crisis” and “Climate change”, which have given me the most recent news articles to support my A-level geography – a subject that is marked higher with more recent case studies and examples. The feature has put the app to the forefront of social media.

Yet there is a problem with the BBC app’s tagging; at this stage, it’s not very diverse. With Twitter, you can search for absolutely anything. The BBC News app feels slightly claustrophobic: there’s a need for a larger range of tags. And while it’s great to read unbiased, factual news reports, many teenagers want to know everyone else’s opinions – something else Twitter involves its users with.

The app enables me to share news stories on Facebook and Twitter, but it would be great if the BBC built its own social network, adding more personalisation, so that we can see what friends are reading.

It seems a long time since we had to Google specific events and scramble through hundreds of different articles – some of which were not even relevant. The BBC News app may boost an interest in current affairs for more teenagers but it needs to go further.