Identifying relevant dimensions to the measurement of adolescent social media experience via focus groups with young people

While work on the relationship between social media use and adolescent mental health has allowed for some progress, research in this area is still relatively new and shows mixed evidence. This is partly the consequence of a rapidly changing field, resulting in conceptualisation and measurement issues that hinder progress. Given the need for robust conceptualisation, the present study included five focus groups with 26 adolescents aged 11-15 in Northwest England, to understand their experiences, motivations, and perceptions of social media use, relating to mental health and wellbeing. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to analyse the transcripts. We developed five themes and 10 sub-themes. Young people discussed being present and connected on social media (theme A); identity formation and self-presentation (theme B); enjoyment and managing moods (theme C); exposure to risky content and relationships (theme D); and self-control (theme E). Across these themes three direct mental health and wellbeing outcomes were identified: social aspects, anxiety and self-esteem, plus two less clearly defined experiences around coping and self-control. Our findings also demonstrate the heterogeneity and multidimensionality of social media experience, and point to some possibly differences across age and gender.