The link between teens' trust on internet information with stress

According to a Cornellled psychology study teens faith in the news they read on social media or lack thereof may be key to whether it supports or detracts from their wellbeingSurveying nearly 170 adolescents and young adults from the US and the UK early in the pandemic the researchers found that those more trusting of the COVID19 information they saw on Facebook Twitter and TikTok were more likely to feel it was empowering while those less trusting were more likely to find it stressfulThe findings highlight the need for news literacy programs to help young people discern factbased trustworthy sources from misinformation and conspiracy theories and support a more nuanced understanding of how social media use impacts wellbeing and mental healthIts not just the sheer volume of social media use thats going to have this positive or negative effect said Adam Hoffman assistant professor in the Department of Psychology and College of Human EcologyIts how you engage with social media news that will be more influential in determining how it impacts you Hoffman said He is the lead author of The Importance of Trust in the Relation Between COVID19 Information from Social Media and Wellbeing Among Adolescents and Young Adults published March 23 in PLOS ONENine coauthors are based at North Carolina State University the University of Virginia South Carolinabased nonprofit EdVenture and in the UK the University of Exeter and the University of Cambridge Prior research on social medias impact on wellbeing and mental health is somewhat muddled the scholars said finding both good and bad influences For example some studies have shown it can foster social connection and selfexpression others that it facilitates bullying and feelings of inferiorityAs the pandemic took hold in early 2020 daily exposure to negative headlines on social media helped popularize the terms doomscrolling and among those trying to escape stressful media news avoidance The virus that causes Covid19 also became the subject of rampant misinformation labelled an infodemic by the World Health OrganizationIn that environment the research team asked 168 students enrolled in a science technology engineering and math afterschool program about their engagement with COVID19 news on Facebook Twitter and TikTok the most popular platforms for sharing news each also criticized for spreading misinformation The ethnically and racially diverse participants who ranged from 14 to 23 years old and averaged age 17 were asked how often they were exposed to COVID19 information how much they trusted it and about their wellbeing measured in three ways emotional psychological and socialUnexpectedly encountering COVID19 news an average of a few times a week either had no effect on wellbeing or was seen as slightly positive The researchers speculated that exposure to pandemic news might have made teens feel more informed about the virus and world events even if it was difficult or depressingTrust in the news however emerged as a driving factor in the relationship Higher levels of trust were linked to a more positive sense of social wellbeing feeling informed and connected part of a community and lower levels in some cases the oppositeThough trust may be good for wellbeing blind trust in social media news also has a potential downside with one study finding it increased acceptance of Covid19 myths and conspiracies Thats why the researchers encourage schools and universities to actively train students in the critical thinking and analytical skills needed to identify accurate information especially on social mediaIts not just that we need to trust but that we need to trust credible sources of news that are factually based and have been vetted Hoffman said adding Thats how youth can be informed and have a positive sense of wellbeing and sense of self and thats the best of both worldsAlso ReadFrom fashion to relationships Herersquos a weekly roundup of our top storiesThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever