"Man ska vara lite den här perfekta människan" : en intervjustudie med skolkuratorer om unga och sociala medier

Sammanfattning: This study examined elementary school students social media use, how they choose to present themselves there and what impact social media use can have on the health of children and adolescents. This qualitative study has been conducted using five semistructured interviews with school counselors. The theories used to analyze the results are social learning theory and dramaturgy theory. The result of the study shows that children and adolescents of today often start using social media in middle school (10-12 years of age), mainly to communicate with others and keep up with events. Furthermore it happens that children and adolescents accentuate positive things about themselves and their lives and present a glorified image of reality on social media. The result also shows that social media can have a big impact on the health of children and adolescents, for instance since they can experience anxiety and low self-esteem because of bullying or be affected by different ideals that can be found on social media.