Digital technology and youth mental health

Supervisor: Dr Beth Bell

A) Rationale for the project

Digital technologies play a complicated role in youth mental health and wellbeing. On one hand, they confer many risks. For example, online sexual victimisation can contribute to depression, diet and exercise apps can contribute to disordered eating, and there exists a wealth of online misinformation about mental health on social media more broadly. On the other hand, digital technologies can have many positive affordances. For example, online mental health information can help young people overcome barriers to help-seeking, engagement with body positive social media content can reduce eating disorder risk, and forums can provide opportunities to connect with others. Developing nuanced understandings of the role digital technologies play in relation to youth mental health and wellbeing is important. This project aims to explore the risks and opportunities afforded by digital technologies in relation to youth mental health and wellbeing, using qualitative and/or mixed methods.

B) References that should be read

Bates, A., Hobman, T., & Bell, B. T. (2020). “Let me do what I please with it... Don’t decide my identity for me”: LGBTQ+ youth experiences of social media in narrative identity development. Journal of Adolescent Research, 35(1), 51-83.

Paddock, D. L., & Bell, B. T. (2021). “It’s better saying I look fat instead of saying you look fat”: A Qualitative Study of UK Adolescents’ Understanding of Appearance-Related Interactions on Social Media. Journal of Adolescent Research, 07435584211034875.

Prinstein, M. J., Nesi, J., & Telzer, E. H. (2020). Commentary: An updated agenda for the study of digital media use and adolescent development–future directions following Odgers & Jensen (2020). Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 61(3), 349-352.

Weinstein, E. (2018). The social media see-saw: Positive and negative influences on adolescents’ affective well-being. New Media & Society, 20(10), 3597-3623.

C) Research aims and questions

Your research will aim to examine the risks and opportunities afforded by digital technologies in relation to youth mental health and wellbeing. You will choose which technologies to investigate and which dimensions of wellbeing and mental health to focus upon. Your project should have clear implications for education.

D) Methods

You will determine your own methodology through reading and supervision. Most likely, this project will qualitative or mixed-methods approaches that aim to explore the nuances of adolescents’ technology use in relation to mental health and wellbeing.