Adolescent Development week 11

Digital natives

The generation of adolescents who have grown up with constant access to digital technologies like smartphones, social media, and the internet.

Media as a socializing agent

The role of digital content in shaping adolescents’ values, behaviors, and worldviews through daily exposure.

Identity development

The process in adolescence that is especially vulnerable to media influence due to increased autonomy, emotional sensitivity, and the search for self.

Media benefits

Opportunities include:

• Access to diverse information

• Creative expression

• Social connection with peers

Media challenges

Concerns include:

• Exposure to harmful or unrealistic content

• Social comparison and low self-esteem

• Reduced face-to-face interaction

Understanding the mechanisms by which media influences adolescent development is key to supporting young people in a media-saturated world.

Cultivation Theory

A theory that proposes that long-term media exposure can shape an individual’s perceptions of reality to align with recurring media themes.

• Heavy media users may internalise the recurring themes and values portrayed in media, which can distort their view of the real world such as:

  • Romantic relationships

  • Gender roles

  • Violence

  • Body image

Cultivation effects are often subtle and cumulative, shaping attitudes and social norms over time.

Media portrayals

Representations in media that can influence adolescent beliefs about relationships, gender roles, and body image, potentially leading to unrealistic expectations or dissatisfaction.

Social Learning Theory

A theory emphasizing that adolescents learn behaviors by observing and imitating media figures who appear attractive, successful, or relatable —especially when behaviours appear to be rewarded.

Adolescents not only consume media—they create and share content, reinforcing behaviours through feedback mechanisms like likes, comments, and shares which can amplify the learning effect.

Media modeling

The process where adolescents replicate behaviors seen in media, particularly those perceived to be rewarded or socially valued.

Uses and Gratifications approach

A theory suggesting adolescents actively select media to fulfil specific needs or goals like entertainment, identity exploration, emotional regulation, and social connection.

• Positive when it fosters connection or self-understanding

• Potentially harmful when it leads to dependency, anxiety, or diminished wellbeing, particularly if media is used to avoid real-life problems

Music engagement

The prominent feature of adolescent life characterized by young people listening to music for several hours a day.

music and identity development 

Music offers adolescents a way to explore and express who they are, what they value, and who they hope to become. As they seek autonomy and a stable sense of self, music serves as a cultural tool.

adolescents align themselves with

• genres, lyrics, repeated listening, emotional resonance, and parasocial connections

Musicians serve as identity role models, shaping adolescents’ values and self-concept: Adolescents view such celebrities as moral exemplars—Famous Character Role Models.

Music and emotional development

The role of music in helping adolescents process, understand, and express complex emotional states during heightened emotional sensitivity. 

• Music offers external validation of complex emotions (e.g., loneliness, heartbreak, anxiety), often before adolescents have the words to describe these experiences.

• Emotional “mirroring” in music supports self-reflection and the development of emotional literacy

Parasocial relationships

One-sided emotional connections with musicians or media figures that influence adolescents’ values and aspirations.

music and emotional regulation

• Antecedent-focused ways – e.g., energising songs before a performance

• Response-focused ways – e.g., calming music to reduce anxiety

• Adolescents use music to:

  • Cope with stress

  • Boost mood

  • Distract from or engage with distressing feelings

Constructive vs maladaptive coping

The differentiation between using music to support emotional resilience (e.g., for reflection or catharsis) versus using it in ways that contribute to issues like rumination or suppression linked to depression and poorer wellbeing

Neurobiological effects of music

include activation of the brain’s reward system (includinf orbitofrontal cortex), especially in early adolescence, reinforcing music's emotional and motivational power.

adolescents who reported enjoying music more showed neural patterns associated with emotional anticipation, suggesting that music primes emotional responses.

Television and adolescent development

The influence of screen media in shaping how adolescents understand themselves, others, and the world through characters and narratives.

• Characters and storylines become tools for identity exploration, social learning, and emotional connection.

Streaming platforms

Services that offer personalized, on-demand access to content, increasing the frequency and privacy of adolescent media use.

• On-demand, personalised viewing experiences, allowing adolescents to choose content freely and watch it in private.

• Frequent and often immersive screen engagement, which makes media more difficult for caregivers to monitor or regulate.

Television and Identity formation

• Characters who are relatable, aspirational, or culturally similar can support identity development and provide emotional validation.

• Through parasocial interactions—imagined relationships with on-screen figures—adolescents form emotional attachments that influence their values, goals, and self-concept

seeing diverse and authentic portrayals of gender, ethnicity, or sexuality can:

• Promote self-acceptance

• Broaden their understanding of what is possible or acceptable

Television and relationshipm expectations 

shaped by media portrayals of romance and friendship, which may reinforce unrealistic norms around passion, gender roles, and emotional expression.

These portrayals can influence:

• How adolescents handle conflict

• What they expect from intimacy

• How they interpret social cues

Body image concerns

Issues that arise from repeated exposure to idealized body types in media, linked to dissatisfaction and internalized beauty standards.

Television and academic development

may be negatively impacted by excessive screen time, which can reduce time for sleep, study, and cognitive engagement, depending on the type and timing of media use.

However

• Educational or cognitively stimulating content, when consumed in moderation, can support learning—especially when viewing is structured and intentional.

Video Games & Cognition

associated with improvements in:

• Visual-spatial skills

• Attention control

• Executive functioning (e.g., working memory, cognitive flexibility, inhibitory control)

Strategy, puzzle, and role-playing games challenge players to:

• Monitor multiple streams of information

• Shift between competing rules

• Solve complex, time-pressured problems

under the right conditions, regular gameplay may support neuroplasticity—the brain’s capacity to adapt and reorganise—during adolescence.

Video Games & Social Behaviours

Online multiplayer and cooperative games foster social skill development by encouraging:

• Teamwork

• Communication

• Perspective-taking and empathy

Adolescents who play with peers often report:

• Greater social connectedness

• Enhanced sense of inclusion—especially valuable for those with difficulty in offline interactions

Games with social features (e.g., chat, rankings, group quests) promote:

• Interpersonal negotiation

• Conflict resolution

• Identity exploration in a peer-validated space

Excessive gaming

The overuse of video games that can lead to negative outcomes like poor sleep, lower academic performance, and reduced physical activity.

outcomes depend on:

• Intensity of use

• Underlying motivations (e.g., escapism vs enjoyment)

• Balance with offline responsibilities

In such cases, excessive gaming may be a symptom, not a cause, of developmental challenges.

Healthy gaming habits

• Encouraging a balance between gaming and other activities

• Promoting parental involvement and open conversations about media habits

• Teaching skills in time management, emotional regulation, and digital literacy

Social media influencers

Individuals on social media who shape adolescent health behaviors by modeling actions, sharing health-related content, and forming emotional bonds.

• provide avenues for connection, creativity, and community—especially for those who may feel marginalised offline

However, constant connectivity can displace important activities such as sleep, physical activity, and in-person social interactio

Differential susceptibility

The idea that social media affects adolescents differently based on personal traits, developmental stage, and the type of content consumed.

Social Media & Relationships

immediacy, visibility, and persistence—shape peer dynamics

• These interactions help meet psychosocial needs for connection, validation, and belonging

However, the same features can cause stress:

• Being left on "read"

• Exclusion from group chats

• Visibility of followers, likes, or posts

These pressures can fuel anxiety, jealousy, or social comparison and complicate social navigation.

Social Media & Romantic Relationships

use social media to:

• Flirt and express affection (e.g., likes, emojis, tagging)

• Manage relationship dynamics

• Cope with breakups or jealousy

The public nature of digital affection or conflict can intensify emotional reactions, requiring maturity and self-regulation.

Attachment theory, social media, and romantic relationships 

• Securely attached adolescents use social media to stay close and set boundaries.

• Anxious or avoidant adolescents may over-monitor or withdraw, amplifying distress 

Social Media & Mental Health

shapes adolescent mental health primarily through social comparison. Curated, idealised images and content can lead to:

• Body dissatisfaction

• Lower self-esteem

• Unrealistic expectations

Key findings:

• Most adolescents use social media without serious harm.

• Some are more vulnerable—particularly those with pre-existing issues like low self-esteem, depression, or anxiety.

Differential Susceptibility and social media

Media effects vary by:

• Individual traits (e.g., emotional sensitivity)

• Type of use (active vs passive)

• Context of use (supportive vs toxic environments)

Passive scrolling and upward comparison are more harmful than active, reciprocal use that fosters support

Active versus passive use

The distinction where active engagement with supportive communities generally promotes wellbeing, whereas passive consumption can worsen emotional outcomes.

Positive Potential of social media

• Enhance belonging

• Improve mood

• Provide emotional support—especially in inclusive online spaces

Ultimately, social media is not inherently good or bad—it reflects and amplifies the adolescent’s social and emotional context

Social Media Influencers & Health

1. Health information transmission – sharing tips on diet, fitness, or mental health

2. Behavioural modelling – showcasing routines, habits, and values

3. Parasocial relationships – forming emotional bonds with influencers, enhancing their credibility and impact

is a double-edged sword, capable of raising awareness and promoting wellbeing but also reinforcing unrealistic ideals or harmful behaviours.

These effects are intensified by:

• Visual content and aspirational aesthetics

• The trust adolescents place in influencers due to perceived relatability