Understanding Adolescent Perspectives on Digital Technologies and Mental Wellbeing
Lead Research Organisation:
University College London
Department Name: UCL Interaction Centre
Abstract
Adolescents are affected by biological and cognitive changes; psychosocial demands including navigating interpersonal relationships and new social contexts; and the personal strive for independence and autonomy; these all play an important role in the process of identity formation (Adams and Marshall, 1996). Having a sense of self and identity can function to give structure and meaning to a person's experience; as well as values including political and morality, concepts such as sexuality and gender identity are particularly pertinent to the period of adolescence. We live in an increasingly digital age and this has changed the landscape of childhood and adolescence, with current generations amongst the first to grow up alongside digital technology embedded into almost all segments of daily life, which adds another layer of complexity to the ecosystem that teenagers navigate compared to older generations. Most research on technology use in adolescents is concerned with the potentially detrimental effects on wellbeing, while less research has focused on the potential positive effects of different types of media use, and how it can be used to promote wellbeing, and support young people as they navigate through adolescence.
This PhD project aims to better understand adolescents' attitudes towards different types of technology and how how young people contextualise digital technology use in their everyday lives. Th student will be gaining a broad overview of digital technology use, but plans to explore social media and gaming further, given the popularity and particular concerns associated with these - but also the potential improvement to wellbeing they can offer. A number of different methodologies, such as semi-structured interviews/focus groups, online focus groups and digital diaries, as well as observational studies and surveys will be used to explore such questions as:
1) How do adolescents integrate digital technology use into their everyday lives?
2) What is the relationship between digital media use esp. social media platforms, and identity and clarity of self-concept
3) How do young people learn to recognise and intervene online if others are at-risk of mental illness/how they can promote better wellbeing for others (instead of being bystanders)?
4) Online identities and roleplaying - to what extent is this expression helpful to self-discovery/clarity of self-concept?
The study will explore these questions in adolescents generally, as well as certain groups, such as stigmatised groups, eg., LGBT+, possibly mental health service users and also different sub-groups of technology users - e.g. gamers, vloggers.
This PhD project aims to better understand adolescents' attitudes towards different types of technology and how how young people contextualise digital technology use in their everyday lives. Th student will be gaining a broad overview of digital technology use, but plans to explore social media and gaming further, given the popularity and particular concerns associated with these - but also the potential improvement to wellbeing they can offer. A number of different methodologies, such as semi-structured interviews/focus groups, online focus groups and digital diaries, as well as observational studies and surveys will be used to explore such questions as:
1) How do adolescents integrate digital technology use into their everyday lives?
2) What is the relationship between digital media use esp. social media platforms, and identity and clarity of self-concept
3) How do young people learn to recognise and intervene online if others are at-risk of mental illness/how they can promote better wellbeing for others (instead of being bystanders)?
4) Online identities and roleplaying - to what extent is this expression helpful to self-discovery/clarity of self-concept?
The study will explore these questions in adolescents generally, as well as certain groups, such as stigmatised groups, eg., LGBT+, possibly mental health service users and also different sub-groups of technology users - e.g. gamers, vloggers.
Organisations
Publications
Studentship Projects
| Project Reference | Relationship | Related To | Start | End | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP/N509577/1 | 01/10/2016 | 24/03/2022 | |||
| 2081659 | Studentship | EP/N509577/1 | 01/10/2018 | 28/02/2023 | Leya George |
| EP/R513143/1 | 01/10/2018 | 30/09/2023 | |||
| 2081659 | Studentship | EP/R513143/1 | 01/10/2018 | 28/02/2023 | Leya George |
| Description | The work funded through this award has aimed to understand how technology can support the process of exploring gender identity. Our initial studies with professionals who work with those exploring their identity, and those with lived experience of gender exploration, has identified that there is a need to support different aspects of exploration such as information-seeking, bolstering social support, and general mental wellbeing. There are barriers to achieving this in the current state of support systems as gender identity clinics are overworked, and there is little nuanced education about gender identity. We have developed greater understanding of how individuals use/appropriate digital tools as a means to experimenting/exploring gender, and have particularly identified play as a significant means of exploring safely. We used a game jam (a hackathon-style event where participants create a game prototype in a short time period) as a research method to explore how the process of play can facilitate gender identity exploration. This itself was a significant achievement, involving collaboration with different stakeholders to organise this virtual event. In follow-up interviews with participants, we gained a greater understanding of the role of play in exploring gender - that it often is a gateway to exploration, it can help reframe experiences (thus helping individuals feel more positive about their identity), and can act as a communicative tool to share understandings of identity with others. Specific game elements were identified as important to facilitate processes of exploration, which provide new directions for research and design of games and technology more broadly - this includes the design of character creation screens in games, which often perpetuate binary, stereotypical ideas of gender, and the design of non-player characters, which taps into the social aspect of gender identity exploration (as affirmation/validation by others when one is exploring identity and experimenting with names/pronouns etc. was found to be important). Furthermore, the process of jamming (creating games) itself functioned as a process of exploration, allowing participants to process their own ideas of gender and learn from others in the group with potentially different conceptualisations, but through the lens of play this created a safe space that may have helped alleviate worries about exploring a potentially sensitive topic. |
| Exploitation Route | A significant contribution of this work centres the value of play in exploring sensitive topics pertaining to one's identity as well as the idea of how identity is constructed on platforms - I believe this could be applied in various contexts. First off, designers of games and platforms generally should take care when incorporating technical identity in their platform - users can appropriate tools to explore, but are often limited by the affordances of the platform. We have identified how the design of character creations could reflect more fluid notions of identity, with more customisation options, and no arbitrary connections between identity characteristics (such as gender category and voice) - which certainly extends to other platforms that incorporate some aspect of profile/identity construction. Furthermore, incorporating play can help people explore gender identity, which can be applied in for example, clinical contexts to help individuals explore personally, as well communicating their thoughts/experiences to clinicians or family, or in school contexts, for example. |
| Sectors | Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Healthcare,Other |
| Description | I have disseminated my research in non-academic settings - I was invited to give a talk at the Anna Freud centre Summer PIE event around video games and mental wellbeing, towards an audience of mostly parents. I discussed work exploring the intersection of games and mental health, including my ongoing work on identity exploration through games. I gave a similar talk for Euro Youth Mental Health event 'I feel, You feel' event for World Mental Health Day. I was awarded a public engagement grant to run a game jam, incorporating insights from previous studies but also leading to new insights of the role of games/play in exploring gender identity through inviting participants of various backgrounds to work together to co-create game prototypes. This was publically available online on itch.io, so anyone could access these games. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2020 |
| Sector | Other |
| Impact Types | Societal |
| Description | UCL Grand Challenges |
| Amount | £2,500 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | 156425 |
| Organisation | University College London |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 02/2021 |
| End | 07/2022 |
| Description | Game Jam |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | 30 individuals signed up to join a three-week virtual game jam, which prompted thought/discussion on the topic of exploring gender through games. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://itch.io/jam/gender-game-jam |