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ERIC Number: EJ1473621
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-May
Pages: 22
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0044-118X
EISSN: EISSN-1552-8499
Available Date: 0000-00-00
TikTok Too Much? A Qualitative Investigation of Adolescent TikTok Use, Motivation, and Consequences
Michael R. Langlais1; Ashley Thaler2; Elizabeth West2
Youth & Society, v57 n4 p593-614 2025
TikTok use has grown rapidly since the COVID-19 pandemic, especially among adolescents. The goal of this study is to understand how and why teenagers use TikTok and how teenagers perceive these behaviors and motivations as contributing to their mental well-being. This qualitative, descriptive study involved interviewing teenagers one-on-one via Zoom regarding their TikTok use and how they perceived TikTok as influencing their well-being (N = 31; M[subscript age] = 15.83). Thematic results revealed that teenagers mostly used TikTok to scroll, watch videos, create and send content, and meet friends. Participants primarily used TikTok for interpersonal reasons (such as entertainment) and for relational reasons (such as to communicate with others). When TikTok was used as a distraction or if they scrolled through depressing or adverse content, their mood declined, but if viewing entertaining content or connecting with others, participants perceived benefits for their well-being.
SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://sagepub.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1Baylor University, Waco, Texas, USA; 2Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, USA