Dr. Mònika Jiménez-Morales, PhD candidate Clara Virós-Martín, and Dr. Mireia Montaña-Blasco (Universitat Oberta de Catalunya) have published a new article in Humanities and Social Sciences Communications (Nature Portfolio). Their study, titled Can’t Stop Scrolling! Adolescents’ Patterns of TikTok Use and Digital Well-Being Self-Perception, explores the complex relationship between TikTok usage and teenagers’ self-perception of digital well-being.

The research analyzes how time spent on TikTok and the type of content consumed affect Spanish adolescents aged 12 to 18. It highlights significant gender differences: girls tend to engage more with beauty and fashion content, while boys favour video games and sports. Despite adolescents’ generally positive perception of their digital well-being on TikTok, the study reveals that increased platform use reduces their ability to set boundaries and limit screen time.

This study contributes to ongoing discussions about the impact of social media on adolescent well-being, emphasizing the importance of moving beyond simplistic measures, such as screen time, to account for platform-specific usage patterns and content types. By focusing on TikTok, the study provides nuanced insights into how this platform, with its algorithm-driven and personalized content, influences young users differently compared to other social networks.

The findings call for a more tailored approach to fostering healthier digital habits among teenagers, which could include educational programs and policies that address both gender-specific usage patterns and platform-specific effects.

Congratulations to the authors for their valuable contribution to understanding the intersection of digital well-being and social media use!

Reference

Virós-Martín, C., Montaña-Blasco, M. & Jiménez-Morales, M. Can’t stop scrolling! Adolescents’ patterns of TikTok use and digital well-being self-perception. Humanit Soc Sci Commun 11, 1444 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-03984-5