How do Norwegian Adolescents Experience The Role of Social Media in Relation to Mental Health and Well-Being: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Background: During the last decade, social media has permeated most parts of society. Adolescents are particularly active users of social media, and their use has been suggested as a contributing factor to mental health issues in this group. Quantitative studies have found associations between the frequency and/or duration of social media use and more mental health issues. However, most studies are cross-sectional and the identified associations are weak and of questionable practical significance. The aim of this study was to investigate adolescents’ lived experiences of using social media, focusing on both negative and positive aspects, using a qualitative approach. Qualitative research enables in-depth explorations of the experiences of individuals, nuance quantitative findings, and offer the perspective of adolescents into policies regarding social media use.Methods: Experiences and perspectives of 27 adolescents from two upper secondary schools in Norway were gathered using focus group interviews (mean age 16.8, range 15-18). The data were analysed using thematic analysis. Results: According to the participants, social media use catalyse changes to how people communicate and relate to each other (theme 1). Some changes were positive, in terms of facilitating social connectedness, while others were negative, such as people behaving worse than in face-to-face interactions. Further, social media use affected the participants at the individual level (theme 2); positively in terms of a sense of belonging and social support, and negatively in terms of perceived stress, body pressure, and displacing other activities such as sleep and homework. The motivations for using, or not using, social media were multifaceted (theme 3), reflecting the positive and negative aspects of social media in terms of interpersonal and personal consequences.Conclusion: Social media was described as an important part of the participants’ everyday life, with both a positive and negative impact on their mental health and well-being. Considering the compelling nature of social media and adolescents’ relatively limited self-regulatory capacities, efforts to modify social media use should avoid relying on self-regulation, while also recognizing the importance of social media as an arena for peer interaction.

Media Resources in the Raising of Prosocial Behavior of Schoolchildren

“…Compared to other peers, prosocial adolescents have higher academic performance at school, better interpersonal relationships, they are less aggressive, earn higher salaries when they become adults (Eron et al, 1987;Vergunst et al, 2019). Prosocial behavior can lead to a sense of happiness and well-being (Aknin et al, 2013;Martela at Ryan, 2016), assessed as safe for society (Kislyakov, Shmeleva, 2018;.…”

“…Numerous studies have been devoted to the study of prosocial behavior abroad and in Russia (Batson, 1987;Carlo, Randall, 2002;Kislyakov, Shmeleva, 2018Kukhtova, 2021;, but the study of the influence of the rapidly developing media environment on the formation of adolescent prosociality still requires the attention of researchers.…”

The association between sharing something difficult on social media and mental well-being among adolescents. Results from the “LifeOnSoMe”-study

“…Questions related to sharing something difficult on social media and perceived social support were based on a qualitative study using focus group interviews among adolescents in senior high schools (Hjetland et al, 2021) participants' experiences with sharing something difficult on social media included two introductory questions: "Have you ever shared something difficult through a story, a post, or similar, which was public or visible to others than your closest friends?" (public sharing) and "Have you ever shared something difficult with one or a few friends/family members through social media?"…”

“…Future research could investigate this more specifically. Nevertheless, the face validity of the social support measures was strengthened by initial focus group discussions and feedback from a resource group of adolescents (Hjetland et al, 2021).…”

“…For example, in 2018, 68% of US adolescents reported that social media made them feel that people supported them through difficult times (Pew Research Center, 2018b), implying that they previously might have shared something difficult. Moreover, in a recent qualitative study, adolescents saw social media as having a positive influence on their mental health because it allowed them to seek social support from friends, and some noted that it was easier to talk about difficulties through social media (Hjetland et al, 2021).…”