Digital Data donation with Adolescents

Valerie Yap*, Amira Skeggs, Amanda M Ferguson, Amelia Leyland-Craggs, Laura Boeschoten, Kasper Welbers, Sebastian Kurten, Amy Orben

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Working paperPreprintAcademic

Abstract

Adolescents’ increasing engagement with digital media raises significant concerns about its impact on a variety of outcomes. However, existing research often relies on self-reported measures of time spent on digital devices, which fail to capture the complexity and nuances of digital interactions and experienced. Data donation offers a more reliable alternative by allowing for the collection of objective, time-stamped data from social media platforms. Using a longitudinal feasibility trial (N = 358, aged 13–18 years), alongside focus groups and input from youth advisory panels, we demonstrate the effectiveness and acceptability of data donation as a data collection method. High engagement rates indicated participants’ willingness to donate their social media data for research, with privacy concerns and trust in researchers acting as pivotal factors in participation. Based on our findings, we propose six key recommendations for conducting adolescent data donation studies, emphasising transparent communication, ethical consent, and collaborative design. In future, the effectiveness of this highly promising data collection method relies on incorporating adolescents’ perspectives, ensuring their agency and concerns are central to the research process, and fostering their digital well-being through inclusive, ethical study designs.
Original languageEnglish
PublisherPsyArXiv
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 26 Nov 2024

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