Navigating the Modern Landscape of Social Media: Ethical Considerations for Research With Adolescents and Young Adults

Engagement on social media among adolescents and young adults (AYAs) is almost universal. AYAs use social media for socialization, connection, and expression, as well as to obtain news and information. Adolescence and young adulthood also represent developmental periods characterized by the emergence of risk behaviors and many forms of psychopathology. Given that risk behaviors and mental health depictions are often displayed and observed online, social media platforms have become an optimal research tool to examine AYA behaviors that may not be visible offline. Social media platforms have the potential to increase recruitment and retention, especially among hard-to-reach, and understudied youth, and to connect AYA with resources for risk behaviors and mental health in a more naturalistic setting. Despite these advantages, the limited consensus on social media ethics across institutions and internal review boards, and the rapidly evolving features on each platform has made it difficult to develop study protocols, navigate and adapt to platform changes, and predict ethical issues that may arise in the context of research. Thus, the purpose of this manuscript is to discuss ethical considerations specific to AYA in social media research. Two research approaches, self-report and observational, are discussed with a focus on informed consent, privacy, and confidentiality. The goal of this manuscript is to highlight the nuances associated with social media research, and the implications for the promotion of ethical practices when adopting social media as a research tool to improve our understanding of AYA behavior.