Saúde mental e uso das redes sociais digitais: a perspectiva de adolescentes mulheres

Abstract

The insertion and expansion of the internet and digital social networks have permeated the daily lives of the adolescent population, directly impacting their activities and social relationships. Although the literature points to the existence of a relationship between technological modernity and the mental health of this population, the debate is still incipient and has gaps, since the focus of the discussion on adolescents in the virtual world is concentrated on adult agents from the school and family environment, disregarding the more active and direct role of adolescents themselves in the production of knowledge about them. It is also possible to identify, in some studies in the area, implications derived from the COVID-19 pandemic and signs that the female gender has been more vulnerable to the negative influences and impacts that the virtual universe presents. However, more studies that can delve deeper into this issue, especially with adolescents themselves, are necessary in order to contribute to a greater understanding of this phenomenon. The aim of this study was to identify the perspective of female adolescents, students at a public school, on how they use digital social networks and the relationship between this use and their mental health. The methodology used was qualitative and exploratory. The participant group was made up of 10 self-declared female adolescents, high school students from a public school in a city in the state of São Paulo. Data was collected at the participants' school in two stages: I) a semi-structured interview, conducted individually, and II) a focus group with all the participants. The data from both was recorded, transcribed and analyzed using the thematic content analysis technique, which gave rise to three thematic categories: I- Connected: the burdens and bonuses of a serious relationship with the cell phone; II- To post or not to post: that is the comparison. Between sharing and caution; III- Networks of care, love and protection: far beyond online. In general, the results show that, from the perspective of the adolescent participants, although there are benefits to using the internet and social networks, such as access to information, entertainment and social interactions, their use of digital social networks is excessive, and these networks reinforce unrealistic standards of beauty and behavior, dictated and reinforced by society, which alter the adolescents' sense of self-esteem, performance and safety. It is also noteworthy that recognizing the risks and harm involved does not seem to be enough to mitigate the consequences of adolescent girls' use, insofar as they consider cell phones to be part of their lives and browsing social networks to be the main activity in their free time. It was also possible to verify the lack of support networks and safe spaces for dialog on this topic. This study brings elements that broaden the understanding of the relationship between the use of digital social networks, gender and mental health in different adolescences, from the perspective of the adolescents themselves. It is believed that these elements can be taken into account when planning care and health promotion actions that are more contextualized and meaningful for this population.