Young People's Views Regarding Participation in Mental Health and Wellbeing Research Through Social Media

About the Course:

Social media is a central component in the lives of many young people, and provides innovative potential to conduct research among this population. Ethical issues around online research have been subject to much debate, yet young people have seldom been consulted to provide a youth perspective and voice. Eight (8) focus groups involving 48 Grade 9 Western Australian secondary school students aged 13-14 years were held in 2012, to investigate how young people perceive the feasibility and acceptability of social media when used as a research tool to investigate various issues relevant to their mental health and wellbeing. Whilst young people recognise many benefits of researchers using social media in this way, such as its relevance, innovation and accessibility, there were salient issues of privacy, consent, and practicality that require careful negotiation. There is a need for continued exploration and scientific debate of the moral and ethical implications of using social media for research, to help ensure this is employed in an appropriate and effective way that is respectful of and sensitive to the needs and views of young people.

This course is based on the reading-based online article, Young People’s Views Regarding Participation in Mental Health and Wellbeing Research Through Social Media created by Helen Monks and Patricia Cardoso in 2015.

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Course Material Authors

Course Material Authors authored the material only, and were not involved in creating this CE course. They are identified here for your own evaluation of the relevancy of the material this course is based on.

Course Creator

Recommended For:

Mental health practitioners and researchers using social media in the collection of social science research data, especially as it relates to teens and yourng adults. In addition, those professionals seeking timely information concerning the practical and ethical challenges, confidentially concerns, and consent issues, attendant to such data collection methodologies. This content is written at the intermediate level.

Course Objectives:

After taking this course, you should be able to:

1. To identify fundamental issues associated with online research focused on adolescents and young adults, and to make decisions about the use of social media as a research tool among this population when there are no clear ethical boundaries present.