Adolescent social media use: understanding its impact on self-esteem

This qualitative study explores the impact of social media use on adolescent self-esteem. Previous studies have well-documented the negative impacts of social media on adolescents’ self-esteem, but the positive impacts have received less attention. This study involved four participants selected through purposive sampling, based on the criteria of being secondary school students aged thirteen to seventeen years old, of either gender, and active users of social media. Using semi-structured interviews, their experiences with social media were recorded and analyzed through thematic analysis, revealing important insights into the impacts of social media use on adolescents’ self-esteem. Results indicate that social media use is a source of positive reinforcement, supporting positive identity formation and motivating personal growth. To enhance the applicability of the results, future studies should include larger and more diverse samples from various aspects and explore the conditions under which social media use can have positive effects.