Exploring adolescent girls’ social networking use

Social media and the mental health of children and young people (CYP) are areas of growing concern within the United Kingdom (UK).

Against that backdrop, this thesis aims to build on the scant research in these areas by merging together and exploring the phenomenon of social media and the psychosocial wellbeing of adolescents.

A systematic review was carried out to explore if there was a relationship between Facebook usage and levels of self-esteem in older adolescents and emerging adults.

The findings revealed a negative small - medium correlation between the two.

A number of methodological considerations are discussed, alongside recommendations for future research, and potential implications for practice.

The empirical paper sought to address the lack of research in the area of adolescent social networking site use (SNS) in the UK.

The methodological choices made within this study reflect a shift away from the predominantly quantitative nature of research within this field.

Specifically, this study explores the perceptions, views and experiences of adolescent girls in relation to their SNS use.

A qualitative study was undertaken in which 8 adolescent girls took part.

Semi-structured interviews and vignettes were used to seek their views, the interview data of which was then analysed using a thematic analysis approach.

Findings suggest that adolescent SNS use is multi-dimensional and impacts on many areas, including psychosocial wellbeing, in both positive and negative ways.

Findings indicate a range of protective factors which can help to counter-balance some of the potential negative ramifications of SNS use.

These include parental engagement, school polices and individual personality traits.

The final chapter within this thesis consists of a dissemination and impact plan which sets out the research's impact at a social, academic and policy level.

Implications and directions for Educational Psychology practice are discussed and an overview of the dissemination plan provided.