A Social Media Single Session Intervention Designed to Promote Healthier Social Media Use: Youth Focus Group Feedback

The effects of social media use on an individual's well- or ill-being are highly contextualized to the individual's characteristics and their specific type of social media use. Youth have variable levels of insight about how social media affects them, knowledge about different ways they can change their use, and self-efficacy to make changes. Interventions designed to promote youth modifications of their social media use are needed to minimize harm in an individualized manner.

The objective of this study was to first develop a Social Media Single Session Intervention (SM SSI) intended to improve insight about effects of social media use on well/ill-being, knowledge of potential changes to make and self-efficacy to make changes and to gather youth feedback related to the SSI's acceptability, feasibility, perceived helpfulness and how it could best be implemented.

A total of 3 (one in-person and two virtual) focus groups were held between June and October 2024. Feedback from 7 youth aged 16-20 (average age 17.43, SD 1.62) years was collected and summarized.

Summarized feedback from the focus groups indicated that the SM SSI is acceptable, feasible, and has the potential to help young people. Youth gave recommendations to include information about additional social media applications, to include an additional peer story exploring other specific challenges, and to include crisis resources. They generally enjoyed going through it together as a group and thought people would use it if assigned by school or a health provider or if they could earn credit for it.

Requested changes will be incorporated into a final iteration of the SM SSI to be piloted in a future study. This initial feedback shows promise that youth would find value in, learn from, and change behavior as a result of this SSI.