We know that many young people do not make use of formal support, but choose instead to rely on peers.  Social media has provided a valuable forum for young people to give each other support.  

To understand this better we have interviewed young people to find out how they give and receive support for psychological distress on social media.

For more on this research read

Nasier, B., Gibson, K., Trnka, S. (2021). “PM me” or “LOL”: Young peoples’ observations of supportive and unsympathetic responses to distress on social media. Computers in Human Behavior, 124, 106933.

Gibson, K. & Trnka, S. (2020). Young people's priorities for support on social media: “It takes trust to talk about these issues.” Computers in Human Behavior, 102, 238-247.