The Role of TikTok in Students’ Health and Wellbeing

Authors: Ramsden, E. and Talbot, C.V.

Journal: International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction

eISSN: 1557-1882

ISSN: 1557-1874

DOI: 10.1007/s11469-023-01224-6

Abstract:

Students are exposed to various academic, financial and psychosocial stressors while studying at a university, and have increasingly turned to social media to alleviate stress and access social support. While evidence suggests that social networking sites may promote health awareness and health-protective behaviours, little research has explored TikTok, a relatively new platform with over 800 million active users. Seven university students (6 females, 1 non-binary; all White British; mean age = 20.57) were interviewed about their experiences on TikTok, their motivations behind using it and its effects on their psychological wellbeing. A thematic analysis of this data revealed that while TikTok use temporarily relieved academic stress, it also encouraged addictive behaviour and upward social comparisons. These differential effects were largely mediated by TikTok’s algorithm, which recommended content based on users’ previous interactions.

https://eprints.bournemouth.ac.uk/39365/

Source: Scopus

The Role of TikTok in Students’ Health and Wellbeing

Authors: Talbot, C. and Ramsden, E.

Journal: International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction

Publisher: Springer Nature

ISSN: 1557-1874

DOI: 10.1007/s11469-023-01224-6

https://eprints.bournemouth.ac.uk/39365/

Source: Manual

The Role of TikTok in Students’ Health and Wellbeing

Authors: Talbot, C.

Journal: International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction

Publisher: Springer Nature

ISSN: 1557-1874

Abstract:

Students are exposed to various academic, financial and psychosocial stressors while studying at a university, and have increasingly turned to social media to alleviate stress and access social support. While evidence suggests that social networking sites may promote health awareness and health-protective behaviours, little research has explored TikTok, a relatively new platform with over 800 million active users. Seven university students (6 females, 1 non-binary; all White British; mean age = 20.57) were interviewed about their experiences on TikTok, their motivations behind using it and its effects on their psychological wellbeing. A thematic analysis of this data revealed that while TikTok use temporarily relieved academic stress, it also encouraged addictive behaviour and upward social comparisons. These differential effects were largely mediated by TikTok’s algorithm, which recommended content based on users’ previous interactions.

https://eprints.bournemouth.ac.uk/39365/

Source: BURO EPrints