How online interaction is inhibiting young people

Fear of online judgement may impact the concentration levels of adolescents, according to a UNSW Sydney study.

In the study, which was published in Scientific Reports, psychologist Dr Susanne Schweizer and her team examined how the threat of being evaluated by others online can affect both the wellbeing and cognition of adolescents.

“Much research has been directed at understanding the impact of online interactions on adolescents’ wellbeing and cognitive functioning. But the evidence is mixed, leaving us parents, policymakers and educators at a loss as to whether we should encourage or prevent social media use in our young people,” Schweizer said.

The researchers constructed a situation that mimicked the threat of being assessed or judged by peers online, a feeling that often follows posting or interacting on social media. The study was completed by 225 people, aged 10–24, who were also asked to rate their anxiety and stress levels at various points throughout the process.

Prior to completing an online learning task, participants were asked to record an audio clip introducing themselves. They were then told that their audio clips would be listened to and evaluated by others online.

“During the online learning task, there was a ‘views and comments tracker’ at the bottom of the screen. Participants didn't know what recordings were being viewed or commented on, nor did they know whether the comments were positive or negative. This was to make it analogue to what it’s like in real life — when you have to do a task, you can’t track what’s happening online, but you know there will be a level of evaluation,” Schweizer said.

Results revealed that all the participants documented a greater increase in negative mood following social evaluative threat compared to the control condition. The threat of social evaluation also led to reduced accuracy in completing the online task.

“There’s been a 52% increase in time spent online by young people during the pandemic. It’s important now, more than ever, to assess how it impacts learning and wellbeing,” Schweizer said.

“Our research showed that when young people thought that others might be evaluating them, they felt upset and their ability to perform a basic cognitive task was impaired. Assuming these findings reflect the impact of online social evaluation, then these results are concerning.”

The crux of the issue is that, historically and evolutionarily, social interactions have been face-to-face, according to Schweizer.

“And with these face-to-face social interactions, the feedback or response you get is immediate. That’s not necessarily the case online, where there’s always the potential to be evaluated, and feedback is ongoing.”

But while technology has blurred the lines between social and personal time, its impact on young people’s moods and learning at such a crucial time in their development hasn’t been well defined.

“So far, we know from previous studies that there is a mixed opinion on whether social media positively impacts, negatively impacts or has no impact on the lives of adolescents,” Schweizer said.

But as well as an increase in negative mood following social evaluative threat, the team also found that the threat of social evaluation had a negative impact on adolescents’ performance on the cognitive task. Heightened social rejection sensitivity and lower perceived social support were also associated with elevated negative mood across the study, regardless of the whether they thought they were being evaluated online or not.

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