Empowering vulnerable youth to use social media as an information source on their mental health issues

The prevalence of anxiety- and depression-related complaints in adolescents and emerging adults has risen over the last decade, but youth face barriers when seeking professional help. Many therefore rely on social media for mental health information. Online short videos (OSVs) are a new form of online health information, which may come with risks and benefits for susceptible adolescents and emerging adults (e.g., misinformation and accessible psychoeducation respectively).


In this PhD project, we aim to understand to what extent, under which circumstances, and for whom mental health information in OSVs may be beneficial or detrimental. We will explore the information needs and mental health-related OSV consumption of adolescents and emerging adults with anxiety- and depression-related complaints, and how their OSV consumption is related to their well-being. These findings will be used to develop and test a brief intervention to improve mental well-being.

Research team:

Status: Ongoing since September 2023

Funding: FMG Research Priority Area Youth Digitality

Links: FMG Research Priority Area Youth Digitality: https://www.uva.nl/en/about-the-uva/organisation/faculties/faculty-of-social-and-behavioural-sciences/research/priority-areas-and-research-centres/youth-digitality/youth-digitality.html