Perspectives Of Young People Research Articles

Online Safety When Considering Self-Harm and Suicide-Related Content: Qualitative Focus Group Study With Young People, Policy Makers, and Social Media Industry Professionals

Background Young people are disproportionately impacted by self-harm and suicide, and concerns exist regarding the role of social media and exposure to unsafe content. Governments and social media companies have taken various approaches to address online safety for young people when it comes to self-harm and suicide; however, little is known about whether key stakeholders believe current approaches are fit-for-purpose. Objective From the perspective of young people, policy makers and professionals who work within the social media industry, this study aimed to explore (1) the perceived challenges and views regarding young people communicating on social media about self-harm and suicide, and (2) what more social media companies and governments could be doing to address these issues and keep young people safe online. Methods This qualitative study involved 6 focus groups with Australian young people aged 12-25 years (n=7), Australian policy makers (n=14), and professionals from the global social media industry (n=7). Framework analysis was used to summarize and chart the data for each stakeholder group. Results In total, 3 primary themes and six subthemes are presented: (1) challenges and concerns, including the reasons for, and challenges related to, online communication about self-harm and suicide as well as reasoning with a deterministic narrative of harm; (2) roles and responsibilities regarding online safety and suicide prevention, including who is responsible and where responsibility starts and stops, as well as the need for better collaborations; and (3) future approaches and potential solutions, acknowledging the limitations of current safety tools and policies, and calling for innovation and new ideas. Conclusions Our findings highlight tensions surrounding roles and responsibilities in ensuring youth online safety and offer perspectives on how social media companies can support young people discussing self-harm and suicide online. They also support the importance of cross-industry collaborations and consideration of social media in future suicide prevention solutions intended to support young people.

"It does help but there's a limit …": Young people's perspectives on policies to manage hot food takeaways opening near schools.

Local authorities (LAs) in England are increasingly using the planning system to manage the proliferation of hot food takeaway outlets ('takeaways') near schools as part of a range of policies to promote healthy weight in children. These takeaway 'management zones' include restrictions on planning permission to open new takeaways within a certain distance of schools. In this qualitative study we explore young people's perspectives of management zones. We purposively recruited 46 young people (aged 11-18 years) attending secondary school across two London LAs with operating management zones. We conducted semi-structured, walking group ("go-along") interviews in January-February 2023 in the local food environment close to participants' schools. We analysed data using framework analysis. Participants generally viewed management zones as reasonable and uncontroversial but were not always aware that management zones were in operation. Although participants understood that management zones prevented new outlets from opening, they observed they did not seem to reduce existing provision. This was viewed positively as it did not result in the closure of local takeaways perceived as important components of the social fabric of school life. Participants believed that the potential health impact of management zones is limited by their exclusive focus on takeaways as other food retail commonly patronised by young people, such as convenience stores, are important sources of unhealthy food. Participants also identified inadequacies in the wider food environment, including the school dining environment and access to food delivery apps. Our findings suggest that although young people find management zones acceptable and believe they have some positive impact on diet, they did not perceive management zones as effective as they could be. Participants articulated that the management of takeaways on their own is unlikely to reduce exposure to unhealthy foods. Widening the remit of planning policy to include outlets selling convenience foods may be important for policy optimisation.

Exploring Perspectives Towards the Gambling Industry and Its Marketing Strategies Among Young People in Western Australia.

The gambling industry utilises a range of strategies to attract and retain customers and limit meaningful gambling reform. Industry marketing strategies have demonstrated appeal to young people; however, little is known regarding how young people perceive and engage with gambling and industry marketing strategies in a Western Australian context. Young people's perspectives are vital to effectively respond to the harmful impacts of such commercial determinants on health and social outcomes. Constructivist Grounded Theory guided data collection and analysis of online group interviews with 25 young people aged 12 to 17 years old residing in Western Australia. Eligible participants received parent or caregiver consent, had lived in WA for at least 5 years, had access to technology, and able to communicate in English. Five key themes were constructed regarding young people's perspectives towards gambling and industry marketing strategies in Western Australia: exposure to gambling marketing is pervasive and inescapable in multiple environments; industry appeal to young people through culturally valued identities; gambling is normalised and embedded in the everyday; corporate power and government reciprocity protects commercial gambling interests; personalising responsibility for preventing gambling harms. This research provides further evidence about young people's everyday exposure to gambling and the need for comprehensive approaches to protect them from industry marketing. SO WHAT?: Findings reinforce the ubiquity of young people's exposure to gambling and the highly engaging and sophisticated tactics used by industry to engage young people in their harmful products. Researchers, advocates, practitioners and policymakers can use these findings to further advocate for increased restrictions on children's exposure to gambling marketing.

The Transition to Adulthood From the Perspectives of Young People With Cerebral Palsy and Their Caregivers: A Systematic Literature Review.

The transition to adulthood can be a complex time in the lives of young people with cerebral palsy (CP). There is a lack of research examining this period from the perspectives of young people and their caregivers. The review sought to identify challenging experiences during the transition to adulthood from the perspectives of young people with CP and their caregivers and to examine factors that acted as barriers and enablers to positive transition outcomes. A systematic literature review of peer-reviewed, empirical studies was completed. Thirteen articles were extracted and analysed using a narrative synthesis approach. The findings identified challenges for the young people in the areas of independent living, sexuality and relationships, navigating health and social care systems, feeling different from their peers and increasing autonomy. Barriers contributing to negative experiences included overprotective parents and a lack of resources. Greater motor ability, supportive parents and knowledgeable healthcare practitioners enabled positive transition outcomes. The transition to adulthood presents multiple challenges as perceived by young people with CP and their caregivers. Both parties require greater support to address these challenges during this time. Further research is required to develop interventions that can support this transition experience.

Access to Transition Planning and Support for Young People Who Self‐Place When in Out‐Of‐Home Care: The Perspectives of Young People and Practitioners

ABSTRACTThis paper explores the experiences of young people in Queensland, Australia, under child protection orders who leave approved out‐of‐home care placements (e.g., foster; residential care) to stay in unapproved locations (e.g., sleeping on the streets; staying with friends, family/kin, or strangers). This phenomenon is commonly referred to as ‘self‐placing’. Young people who self‐place are at increased risk of homelessness, exploitation, contact with the justice system, and disconnection from support services, including education and health care. We argue that this disconnection from formal support impedes their access to transition care planning and support—factors internationally recognised as essential for enhancing outcomes for care leavers. Our paper draws on qualitative interviews with 11 young people with experience of self‐placing and focus group data involving 26 statutory child protection practitioners and 17 specialist non‐government practitioners. We describe the ways in which self‐placing was perceived to shape young people's access to, and practitioners' ability to provide, transition planning and support. We identify ongoing gaps and examples of good practice to inform more robust transition from care policies that are responsive to the needs of this marginalised cohort.

The Enjoyment of Watching Other People Eat: A Qualitative Analysis of Young Turkish Mukbang Viewers' Motivations

With the introduction of social media into our lives, we are faced with different trends and themes of user-generated content. Mukbang videos, which are one of these contents published on social media platforms such as Instagram or YouTube, are remarkable in that they include a style of eating that may be enjoyable for some and disturbing for others. Mukbang is a video format that started in South Korea and quickly became a global phenomenon, where individuals interact with viewers while consuming large amounts of food. These contents, where food is used as a means of demonstration and social bonding, are an academically interesting and important research topic because they include many social and cultural dimensions such as digital consumption, social interaction, food culture and body perception. Based on the fact that these videos can also earn money for their publishers on digital platforms, this study examines the tendency to watch Mukbang videos from the perspective of young people and tries to understand the motivations of young people to watch these videos and what kind of pleasures they get in return. The data obtained from semi-structured interviews conducted with fourteen Mukbang followers that were selected by using a combination of purposeful and snowball sampling approaches, were analyzed in the MAXQDA program. As a result of the analysis, it was determined that young people learned about Mukbang videos through the "For You Page" of social media platforms, started watching these videos out of curiosity, watched them with the motivation to accompany or relax, gained virtual and spiritual satisfaction, and got acquainted with the dishes of different cultures that attracted their attention.

Perspectives of Young People on Social Media-Based Sexuality Education Using a Feminist Approach in China: A Qualitative Study

The feminist approach to sexuality education challenges and changes power dynamics and inequalities embedded within sexuality, while social media serves as a tool for building online communities and raising awareness about feminist issues. Adopting a feminist approach to sexuality education, particularly through social media platforms, remains largely unexplored and underdeveloped. In China, where traditional sex education is often limited and stigmatized, sexuality has been influenced by a complex interplay of traditional gender norms, evolving social attitudes, and state intervention. The aim of this study was to evaluate both sex educators and their online followers’ perceptions of the implementation of social media-based sexuality education using a feminist approach in China. Semi-structured online interviews were carried out with 10 educators and 18 young followers, followed by thematic analysis using NVivo. The findings indicated that social media-based sexuality education using a feminist approach might be used to help disrupt oppressive norms about gender and sexuality and foster a positive attitude toward women’s sexuality. Chinese online sex educators strategically avoided the term “feminism” and creatively evaded censorship and spread their messages in alignment with government policies while advocating for gender equality. However, participants also highlighted the existence of barriers, including internal conflicts, gender imbalances, social stigmatization, and political constraints, which needed to be addressed in order to effectively implement this approach.

Experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic on child and adolescent psychiatric wards: multi-methods investigation.

Child and adolescent mental health service in-patient beds are unevenly spread throughout England. Where demand outstrips bed availability, young people may be admitted at-distance or to adult psychiatric wards. The COVID-19 pandemic added pressures to already overstretched services. Understanding experiences during this period is vital to inform strategies for future emergencies. To investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on admissions to local, at-distance or adult psychiatric units, from the perspectives of young people, parents/carers and healthcare professionals. Multi-methods data were collected from February 2021 to September 2022, as part of the Far Away from Home research programme. A 13-month national surveillance study collected information about admissions to general adolescent units >50 miles from home, out-of-region or to adult psychiatric units. Free-text data from respondents (n = 51) were analysed using content analysis. Interviews with young people (n = 30), parents/carers (n = 21) and healthcare professionals (n = 68) were analysed using thematic analysis. Restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic affected young people's contact with others; the requirement to self-isolate on admission and following overnight leave felt distressing, and visiting was limited. This disincentivised overnight leave, leading to some discharges being delayed and others feeling rushed and high risk. The COVID-19 pandemic also accelerated the introduction of virtual meetings, enabling community teams and families to be more involved in therapies, meetings and decision-making. Restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic were often negatively perceived. However, the increased use of technology was felt to be positive, widening inclusion and mitigating some negative effects of distance on admissions.

Loneliness and Social Isolation: qualitative study among youth in vulnerable situations

Abstract Background Loneliness and social isolation are increasing among young people, particularly those in vulnerable NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training) situations, potentially leading to poor health and well-being outcomes. We aim to explore these challenges from the perspective of NEET youngsters and link workers who support them in co-creating individual action plans for their social and economic integration. Methods Data were collected through in-depth and semi-structured interviews with 15 young people in NEET situations, aged 18-34, and 7 link workers from several social organisations in rural and urban areas in Portugal. The young participants were selected based on their age, educational level, mental health needs, and urban/rural regions. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the interviews. Results The results showed a convergence between the perspectives of young people and link workers on the factors that influence social isolation and loneliness, including social and emotional skill deficits, excessive use of social media platforms, and mental health problems. Young people reported to being heavily involved in social media platforms, which often did not translate into meaningful relationships in real life. Youngsters also highlighted the lack of local support and community resources in rural areas. Link workers identified specific challenges young migrants face in community integration, including language barriers (for the youth with a migrant origin) and lack of familiarity with local resources. Conclusions This study highlights social media platforms, mental health and social and emotional skill deficits as main factors contributing to the social isolation and loneliness of young people in a NEET situation. This emphasizes the importance of integrated proximity-based interventions that incorporate community resource mapping and local support networks, including mental health support services, and promote multi-sector collaboration. Key messages • Social media platforms, mental health needs, and social and emotional skill deficits drive social isolation in NEET youth, stressing integrated, community-focused interventions. • Proximity-based strategies with community mapping and mental health support enhance NEET youths’ social integration, urging cross-sector collaboration.

Considerations for coping with loneliness from the perspective of young people

Abstract Adolescence is a time characterized by high friendship instability. Adolescents have to navigate changes to their social worlds alongside developmental challenges such as identity formation. It makes sense then, that loneliness is a common experience during adolescence. For most, loneliness is transient and can be adaptive; it motivates individuals to strengthen their social relationships by seeking connection and evaluating existing relationships. For some, loneliness becomes chronic leading to heightened risk of additional mental health issues such as depression and anxiety, and physical health issues such as cardiovascular disease. Extant interventions to help youth cope with loneliness have been developed based on quantitative research and may be missing qualitative insights that can expand our understanding by identifying the decisions made by young people when determining how to cope. Exploring the lived experience of adolescents who are navigating loneliness can complement quantitative work by identifying preferred coping strategies, and barriers to coping adaptively. This presentation will focus on qualitative research with adolescents highlighting factors that influence their approach to coping. Drawing from insights gathered from 13 focus groups with young people aged 8-24 years in the UK, the presentation will discuss key themes developed to describe the process by which youth determine how to cope, the influence of their underlying reasons for feeling lonely, coping strategies that help to alleviate loneliness, and strategies which are counterproductive.

Residential care settings for children in the Philippines: Examining their transnational and neocolonial characteristics and the implications for children’s social welfare

This article investigates the contemporary transnational and neocolonial characteristics of children’s welfare in the Philippines, drawing on the perspectives of young people in residential care settings (RCSs) (aka orphanages) as well as the views of programme and policy actors embedded across child protection systems. Its findings highlight the funding and governance roles of transnational actors in child and family welfare programmes, the commodification of children that these transnational dynamics engender and the Philippines’ dependence on international actors to support children’s welfare. Recommendations include the enhanced regulation of RCSs, expanded social protection measures and greater use of family-based care models.

Mechanisms of young professional engagement in health policy development: a cultural domain approach.

Engagement in public health policy development is critical to forward-thinking public health policy. There is a robust empirical case to support the prospect of the engagement of young adults in civic and research efforts. However, the literature is limited in conceptualizing the mechanisms of engagement in health policy development from the perspective of young adults. This study applied the concepts and methods of cognitive anthropology to identify the mechanisms of engagement in health policy development from the perspective of young people. Online elicitation and cognitive domain analysis were applied to collect and analyze the data. Students enrolled in a public health leadership class at a large United States southeastern university were invited to participate in an online discussion. Saturation was achieved after the eighth submission. Data were analyzed qualitatively for repetition and recurrence and quantitatively to assess their cultural saliency. Thirty-two students submitted 147 individual engagement ideas. The analysis resulted in 24 unique mechanisms organized into 10 clusters. The most prominent engagement mechanisms included education, peer activities, advocacy, direct involvement, and activism. In the dynamic landscape of public health, active involvement in health policy development presents a crucial pathway for leadership among young professionals. The application of cognitive anthropology methods contributes to the emerging science of engagement and allows to identify and measure consensus around the pathways for engagement in health policy development among young professionals.

Health inequalities and contemporary youth: Young people's accounts of the social determinants of health in an 'austere meritocracy'.

Young people coming of age amidst widespread socioeconomic uncertainty have a unique vantage from which to interpret how social, economic and environmental factors might influence health and the generation of health inequalities. Despite this, only a small number of existing studies of 'lay' understandings of health inequalities have focused on young people. This arts-based qualitative study builds on that body of research, in the context of the UK, to explore how young people make sense of health inequalities. Across two sites, Glasgow and Leeds, six groups of young people (39 in total) took part in online workshops to explore their perspectives. Throughout they engaged with population health research evidence; contributed to group discussions and responded creatively, via visual and performance art and by articulating their own views and experiences. In this paper, we explore how individual and structural explanations for health inequalities emerged, employing concepts from sociological studies of youth to shed light on these accounts. In particular, we argue that the concept of 'austere meritocracy', the persistence of narratives of aspiration and hard work as key to success against an increasingly hostile socio-economic backdrop, helps explain young people's perspectives on health inequalities in the UK.

Young people's perspectives on policies to create healthier food environments in England.

Food environments are important determinants of healthy diets among young people. This study explored young people's perspectives on their food environment, their recommendations to policymakers and views on youth engagement in policy processes. There is limited research on young people's perspectives on their involvement in developing food environment policies. Youth engagement in policymaking processes can lead to greater policy integrity and inclusivity. Four focus group discussions were conducted with 39 young people (12-21 years) from a town in North West England and a metropolitan area in the English Midlands. Participants were recruited through youth organizations. Data were analysed using inductive thematic analysis. Young people reported concerns about the density of fast food outlets in their local area, the unaffordability of healthier food, and fast food advertisement. These issues were not believed to be prioritized in local and national policymaking. Accordingly, policy recommendations were mainly for structural food environment policies, including restrictions on fast food outlet density and incentives for menu reformulation. Young people did not feel involved in local decisions about the food environment. They expressed a need for more meaningful engagement beyond consultation. Young people have repeatedly shown to have a deep understanding of the social, commercial and political factors that influence diet and health. It is essential that policymakers aiming to improve young people's diets take their unique views and concerns into account to create effective policies that resonate with young people.

Desirable design: What aesthetics are important to young people when designing a mental health app?

Objectives: Smartphone apps can be highly effective in supporting young people experiencing mood disorders, but an appealing visual design is a key predictor of engagement with such apps. However, there has been little research about the interaction between visual design, mood and wellbeing in young people using a mental health app. This study aimed to explore young people's perspectives on colour and visual design in the development of a music-based app for mood management. Methods: Workshops were conducted with 24 participants (aged 13-25 years) with data analysis following a general inductive approach. Results: Results indicated that colour could impact wellbeing in both positive and negative ways. Participants favoured a subtle use of colour within sophisticated, dark palettes and were influenced by a complex interplay of common semiotic values, experiences with other apps, and mood. Conclusions: These findings highlight the highly contextual nature of the relationship between colour and mood, emphasising the importance of co-design in app development.

Views of Polish High School Students on the Criteria for Assessing Farm Animal Welfare

Abstract We surveyed young people’s opinions on the criteria for assessing farm animal welfare, which provided information on how they understand the human-animal relationship. Among the Polish high school students surveyed, the prevailing opinion was that the most important criterion for assessing farmed animals’ welfare is their sentience. Most respondents considered the method of housing to be the least important criterion. Among high school students, the dominant belief was that animals are capable of suffering. Respondents differed mainly in their beliefs about the intensity of emotions and suffering experienced by nonhuman vertebrates. These differences affected the dietary choices of young people and their willingness to take actions that indirectly contribute to ensuring a higher level of animal welfare. The results of the research indicate the need to consider the perspective of young people as a specific social category in debates on welfare.

The acceptability of preventative bisphosphonate therapy prior to fracture: perspectives of young people with duchenne muscular dystrophy, parents/carers and health professionals

The acceptability of preventative bisphosphonate therapy prior to fracture: perspectives of young people with duchenne muscular dystrophy, parents/carers and health professionals

Future school well-being: a qualitative study on the imagined futures of Finnish youth

ABSTRACT Supporting the well-being of young people is one of a school’s key goals. We examined school well-being from the perspective of young people by asking them what kinds of images they had of school well-being in future schools. Using a qualitative research design to obtain an open and interpretive response, we analysed essays written by Finnish general upper secondary school students (n = 89). With an analysis that utilised Dator’s (2009. ‘Alternative futures at the Manoa School.’ Journal of Futures Studies 14 (2): 1–18) archetypes of future images, Allardt’s (1996. ‘Hyvinvointitutkimus ja elämänpolitiikka’ [Welfare research and life policy]. Janus 4 (3): 224–241) sociological model of well-being, and components of Konu and Rimpelä’s (2002. ‘Well-being in schools: a conceptual model).’ Health Promotion International 17 (1): 79–87. doi:10.1093/heapro/17.1.79) school well-being model, we present a versatile perspective on school well-being via four alternative future images. The students conveyed desirable and threatening factors at both societal and individual levels, revealing tensions in the young people’s views and experiences regarding their acceptance or their criticism of the current neoliberal educational policies, with their emphasis on individual responsibility, efficiency, and competition. This study contributes to the literature on young people’s school well-being by using a future-oriented approach that involved describing alternative futures. This enables us to explore our understanding of social change and to examine possibilities for future directions in schooling.

Homing into school to create the ideal classroom: young people want to combine the best of home and school learning environments

ABSTRACT We asked 28 young people (16–18 Years old) from two schools in Lancashire to reflect on their COVID-19 experience and Co-Design the ideal learning environment. In this paper, we present young people’s vision for the ideal classroom that combines the best of the home and school learning environments. Young people would like to have flexible furniture arrangements, with space for group and individual activities, a bespoke learning environment that can be appropriated and adjusted according to individual preferences (e.g. sound, light, temperature, ventilation levels). Furthermore, they aim for comfortable environments with earth colours, natural materials and a direct connection with nature. We argue the importance of taking young people's perspectives presented here to inform future policy, the design of learning spaces and school rebuilding programmes.

Post-its, postcards, and dream clouds: exploring participatory design methods as avenues to capture rural youth voices

ABSTRACT This paper reports on a participatory workshop with a group of rural youths exploring ways of engaging them to capture their voices, examining whether design-based participatory methods could support them in raising their voices and making their perspective visible to a broader public. With the frame of a one-day workshop, three different participatory design methods were tested. The empirical findings show that participatory workshops with rural youth using visual design-based methods can support the sharing of valuable knowledge about being young in rural areas from the perspective of young people. The study displays that a participatory workshop setup using design-based methods prompt young people to articulate valuable insights about their local community; and thus, potentially building up agency among the young people participating, as well as having processual values as the participatory workshop using design methods offer learning and development opportunities to young people where the young people among others gain valuable insights about their community. Thus, this study inscribes itself into the field of rural participatory research by testing participatory design methods to enable young people to express their ideas, perspectives and opinion.