IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v19y2022i9p5691-d810352.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

How Do Adolescents Use Social Networks and What Are Their Potential Dangers? A Qualitative Study of Gender Differences

Author

Listed:
  • Giulio de Felice

    (Faculty of Literature and Philosophy, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
    Xenophon College London, University of Chichester, London PO19 6PE, UK)

  • Jessica Burrai

    (Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy)

  • Emanuela Mari

    (Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy)

  • Fabrizio Paloni

    (Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy)

  • Giulia Lausi

    (Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy)

  • Anna Maria Giannini

    (Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy)

  • Alessandro Quaglieri

    (Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy)

Abstract

The rapid development of software applications and the increasing use of the Internet have raised many questions about the impact of this technology on the lives of adolescents, especially on “digital natives.” The advent of social networks (SNs) restructures their relationships in various ways, affecting both adolescents’ development and mental health. The present study aims to investigate uses and dangers of SNs according to a sample of 296 (166 female and 130 male) Italian middle and high schools adolescents (age range 13–18) and build a model of how SNs can turn out to be dangerous. To achieve this, twenty-four audio-recorded focus groups of Italian male and female adolescents were investigated by a Grounded Theory approach, abstracting from the transcripts the main uses and dangers of SNs and proposing a final model for the interpretation of the whole set of categories. The results highlighted two main dangers of SNs: (a) the desperate search for popularity, and (b) the exhibition of violent or offensive behavior facilitated by the sense of protection and anonymity derived from being hidden behind a virtual account. Finally, a psychological model of how SNs can turn out to be dangerous is presented. This study could be useful in developing prevention procedures against the risks of SNs (e.g., cyberbullying, internet addiction) without demonizing the use of social media as such.

Suggested Citation

  • Giulio de Felice & Jessica Burrai & Emanuela Mari & Fabrizio Paloni & Giulia Lausi & Anna Maria Giannini & Alessandro Quaglieri, 2022. "How Do Adolescents Use Social Networks and What Are Their Potential Dangers? A Qualitative Study of Gender Differences," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(9), pages 1-12, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:9:p:5691-:d:810352
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/9/5691/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/9/5691/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Booker, C.L. & Skew, A.J. & Kelly, Y.J. & Sacker, A., 2015. "Media use, sports participation, and well-being in adolescence: Cross-sectional findings from the UK Household Longitudinal Study," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 105(1), pages 173-179.
    2. Jessica Burrai & Benedetta Barchielli & Clarissa Cricenti & Anna Borrelli & Sabina D’Amato & Massimo Santoro & Margherita Vitale & Stefano Ferracuti & Anna Maria Giannini & Alessandro Quaglieri, 2021. "Older Adolescents Who Did or Did Not Experience COVID-19 Symptoms: Associations with Mental Health, Risk Perception and Social Connection," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(9), pages 1-12, May.
    3. Amy Orben & Andrew K. Przybylski, 2019. "The association between adolescent well-being and digital technology use," Nature Human Behaviour, Nature, vol. 3(2), pages 173-182, February.
    4. Best, Paul & Manktelow, Roger & Taylor, Brian, 2014. "Online communication, social media and adolescent wellbeing: A systematic narrative review," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 27-36.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Nieves Gutiérrez-Ángel & Jesús-Nicasio García-Sánchez & Isabel Mercader-Rubio & Judit García-Martín & Sonia Brito-Costa, 2022. "Digital Competence, Validation and Differential Patterns between Spanish and Portuguese Areas as Assessed from the Latest PISA Report as a Pathway to Sustainable Education and Social Concerns," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-24, October.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Melissa Bohnert & Pablo Gracia, 2021. "Emerging Digital Generations? Impacts of Child Digital Use on Mental and Socioemotional Well-Being across Two Cohorts in Ireland, 2007–2018," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 14(2), pages 629-659, April.
    2. Biernesser, Candice & Sewall, Craig J.R. & Brent, David & Bear, Todd & Mair, Christina & Trauth, Jeanette, 2020. "Social media use and deliberate self-harm among youth: A systematized narrative review," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 116(C).
    3. Jenny Davison & Brendan Bunting & Paul Connolly & Katrina Lloyd & Laura Dunne & Barbara Stewart-Knox, 2022. "Less Screen Time, More Frequent Fruit and Vegetable Intake and Physical Activity are Associated with Greater Mental Wellbeing in Adolescents," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 15(4), pages 1339-1361, August.
    4. Omar Hegazi & Samer Alalalmeh & Ahmad Alfaresi & Soheil Dashtinezhad & Ahmed Bahada & Moyad Shahwan & Ammar Abdulrahman Jairoun & Tesleem K. Babalola & Haya Yasin, 2022. "Development, Validation, and Utilization of a Social Media Use and Mental Health Questionnaire among Middle Eastern and Western Adults: A Pilot Study from the UAE," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(23), pages 1-18, November.
    5. HangUk Cheon, 2021. "The Structural Relationship between Exercise Frequency, Social Health, and Happiness in Adolescents," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-14, January.
    6. Yuwen Lyu & Julian Chun-Chung Chow & Ji-Jen Hwang & Zhi Li & Cheng Ren & Jungui Xie, 2022. "Psychological Well-Being of Left-Behind Children in China: Text Mining of the Social Media Website Zhihu," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(4), pages 1-13, February.
    7. Yang Yang & Keqiao Liu & Siqi Li & Man Shu, 2020. "Social Media Activities, Emotion Regulation Strategies, and Their Interactions on People’s Mental Health in COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(23), pages 1-16, December.
    8. Gülsen Erden & Asil Ali Özdoğru & Sami Çoksan & Hale Ögel-Balaban & Yakup Azak & İlkiz Altınoğlu-Dikmeer & Aysun Ergül-Topçu & Yeşim Yasak & Gözde Kıral-Uçar & Seda Oktay & Pelin Karaca-Dinç & Ezgi Di, 2022. "Social Contact, Academic Satisfaction, COVID-19 Knowledge, and Subjective Well-being Among Students at Turkish Universities: a Nine-University Sample," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 17(4), pages 2017-2039, August.
    9. McCrory, Alanna & Best, Paul & Maddock, Alan, 2020. "The relationship between highly visual social media and young people’s mental health: A scoping review," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 115(C).
    10. Griffith, David A. & Lee, Hannah S. & Yalcinkaya, Goksel, 2023. "Understanding the relationship between the use of social media and the prevalence of anxiety at the country level: a multi-country examination," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 32(4).
    11. Amy Orben & Andrew K. Przybylski & Sarah-Jayne Blakemore & Rogier A. Kievit, 2022. "Windows of developmental sensitivity to social media," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-10, December.
    12. Emily McDool & Phillip Powell & Jennifer Roberts & Karl Taylor, 2016. "Social Media Use and Children’s Wellbeing," Working Papers 2016011, The University of Sheffield, Department of Economics.
    13. Lee, Ah Ram & Suzanne Horsley, J., 2017. "The role of social media on positive youth development: An analysis of 4-H Facebook page and 4-H'ers' positive development," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 127-138.
    14. Netta Achdut & Tehila Refaeli & Talia Meital Schwartz Tayri, 2021. "Subjective Poverty, Material Deprivation Indices and Psychological Distress Among Young Adults: The Mediating Role of Social Capital and Usage of Online Social Networks," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 158(3), pages 863-887, December.
    15. Kati Puukko & Lauri Hietajärvi & Erika Maksniemi & Kimmo Alho & Katariina Salmela-Aro, 2020. "Social Media Use and Depressive Symptoms—A Longitudinal Study from Early to Late Adolescence," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(16), pages 1-18, August.
    16. Xiao, ZhiMin, 2017. "Of young people and Internet cafés," SocArXiv 2d8rz, Center for Open Science.
    17. Schneider, Sebastian O. & Sutter, Matthias, 2020. "Higher Order Risk Preferences: Experimental Measures, Determinants and Related Field Behavior," VfS Annual Conference 2020 (Virtual Conference): Gender Economics 224643, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    18. Gunnhild Johnsen Hjetland & Viktor Schønning & Bodil Elisabeth Valstad Aasan & Randi Træland Hella & Jens Christoffer Skogen, 2021. "Pupils’ Use of Social Media and Its Relation to Mental Health from a School Personnel Perspective: A Preliminary Qualitative Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(17), pages 1-15, August.
    19. Ahmad, Amal, 2022. "Imperfect information and learning: Evidence from cotton cultivation in Pakistan," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 201(C), pages 176-204.
    20. Xilin Li & Yao Zhang & Ziwen Ye & Lingling Huang & Xujuan Zheng, 2021. "Development of a Mobile Application of Internet-Based Support Program on Parenting Outcomes for Primiparous Women," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(14), pages 1-11, July.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:9:p:5691-:d:810352. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.