Project zEbra
Social inclusion in the real and digital world
The zEbra project focuses on the relationships between the use of social media and the well-being of children and adolescents. Measurement tools are being developed to validly record the smartphone use of different media and online social interactions of young people aged 10-14.
Today, children and adolescents spend a significant part of their daily lives using digital media such as Instagram or WhatsApp. The zEbra project (social integration in the real and digital world) investigates to what extent and for what reasons children and adolescents use different internet platforms and how this use is related to their well-being. The focus is on social interactions that take place online. In this context, late childhood and early adolescence is a key developmental period characterised by an increasing importance of peer contacts and connectedness for well-being.
Selected publications
Irmer, A. & Schmiedek, F. (2023). Associations between youth’s daily social media use and well-being are mediated by upward comparisons. Communications Psychology, 1, 12. doi: 10.1038/s44271-023-00013-0
Funding
