ArticleJournal of adolescence2026
Adolescents' Experiences of Social Media Content Types and Wellbeing: A Photo-Elicitation Interview Study.
Article in Journal of adolescence, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundAdolescents' experiences of social media are increasingly shaped by algorithmic recommendation systems that structure repeated exposure to diverse content types. However, research has focused predominantly on screen time, with limited attention to the diverse types of content encountered within curated feeds or how these experiences intersect with developmental processes such as identity formation, social evaluation, and emotional regulation.
methodsSemi-structured photo-elicitation interviews were conducted in 2025 with 27 adolescents aged 14-19 years in the United Kingdom (mean age = 17.15 years, SD = 1.49; 70% self-described female). Participants shared screenshots from their TikTok For You or Instagram Explore pages to support discussion of algorithmically recommended content. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis.
resultsSeven content types were identified: entertainment, consumerism, identity-related, mental health, news and activism, body image, and AI-generated content. All were experienced as double-edged, with perceived benefits and risks shaped by repeated algorithmic exposure, developmental stage, emotional state, and individual context. Participants frequently reflected retrospectively on earlier social media experiences, identifying younger adolescence as a period of particular vulnerability. Perceived impacts were closely connected to developmental processes including identity formation, social evaluation, and emotional regulation, with younger adolescents perceived as less equipped to critically evaluate content or manage algorithmic exposure.
conclusionsAdolescents' wellbeing in relation to social media appears shaped by the types of content repeatedly encountered and the developmental context in which exposure occurs. Research, education, and platform design should address the quality, recurrence, and emotional consequences of algorithmically curated content exposure across adolescence.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.