Date of Award

January 2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Public Health (MPH)

Department

School of Public Health

First Advisor

Ijeoma Opara

Abstract

Introduction: Social media use among youth has become a topic of concern among public health professionals and policymakers. Youth have grown to rely on social media for communication and entertainment, but are exposed to negative health behaviors with the potential to model them in their lives. In this study, we investigated youth’s perspectives on social media content and the impact it has on their health and lives.Methods: We conducted a rapid qualitative analysis of individual interviews of youth from Paterson, New Jersey. Among the sample (n=20), the mean age was 16 years, 80% identified as male, and 30% were justice-involved. For ethnoracial identities, 55% of the youth identified as Black/African American, 25% identified as Afro-Latino, and 15% identified as Hispanic/Latino. Results: Six total themes were identified during analysis. The themes for substance use were 1) Increased exposure to substance use content may influence behavior, and 2) Need more authentic substance use prevention messaging. The themes for sexual health were 1) Awareness of HIV and STIs varied and sometimes limited, and 2) Discussions about sex shaped by privacy concerns and lack of positive messaging. The themes for mental health were 1) Mental health content present but varied accuracy and influence, and 2) Impact on youth mental health remains complex. Conclusion: Researchers and policymakers must collaborate with youth at all steps in the research and lawmaking process to best center their perspectives and rights working to ensure healthy behaviors and safe social media consumption among this population.

Comments

This thesis is restricted to Yale network users only. It will be made publicly available on 06/16/2026

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