Abstract:
Social media is a collection of Internet-based applications that allow people to communicate with friends and family through text, images and/or videos, and to share information. Technological advances contributed to the growth of these applications and to the use of social media. Social media networks or social networking sites (SNS) have been developed for social engagement and connection. Adolescents were found to be enthusiastic users of social media and access commonly used SNS such as Facebook with their mobile phone or computer. Young people use social media on a daily basis, which has an effect on their daily activities. Despite the advantages thereof, there are common risks associated with social media use and the use of social media can have harmful effects on adolescents’ physical and psychosocial well-being. The use of social media is a well-known habit of adolescents, one of their most popular leisure time activities, and a vital mode of communication. Adolescents present opposing views on whether social media use has positive or negative effects on them. While teenagers post personal information on social media, they do not want their parents to be involved in their online activities, so parents have little or no information of their children's web activities. The goal of the study was to explore and describe young adults’ reflections on their experiences of social media use during adolescence.
The research was based on a qualitative research approach to obtain the participants’ personal views on the topic, with applied research as a relevant research type as the findings could be used in social work practice to address problems related to adolescents’ social media use. An instrumental case study design guided the researcher to focus on the participants’ experiences of the phenomenon of social media use during adolescence. A sample of 10 young adults who complied with the sampling criteria of the study was recruited by means of purposive and snowball sampling. Data were collected by using semi-structured interviews guided by an interview schedule. Data analysis was conducted following the process of thematic analysis. The researcher upheld ethical considerations during the implementation of the study.
The findings of the study indicate that the participants started using social media from the age of 13 years and spent extensive amounts of time on social media. Although they mentioned some positive effects of their social media use, they highlighted more harmful effects thereof, for example on their sleep patterns, schoolwork, relationships with their parents, their emotions and their self-concept. The theoretical framework of the study, namely the ecological systems theory, provided insight into the wide effects of social media use on adolescents’ lives. The participants made suggestions for preventing the harmful effects of social media use on adolescents, mostly focusing on the role that parents can play in this regard.
It is concluded that social media use is a common activity among adolescents. Due to the risks and harm that social media use can cause, it is recommended that social workers must have knowledge of the phenomenon and plan interventions that can limit the harm to adolescents and their families. Education to parents, adolescents and other professionals who provide services to children, form an important part of social work interventions. In addition, further research on different aspects of the topic is recommended.
The key concepts of the research study are:
• Social media
• Internet
• Social network sites
• Adolescence
• Young adult