Influence of social media for sexuality of adolescents

Abstract

Background Adolescence is a phase of life of great emotional, cognitive, social and body changes. Also noteworthy are the changes related to the emotional relationship between young people and sexuality. Recent research indicates that the use of Social Media (MS) has increased dramatically among adolescents in the last 10 years, and they have a tendency to seek information on health, sexual health and STIs including AIDS in these media. Objective To understand the influences of social media for sexual health and sexuality in adolescents. Methods This is a research with a qualitative approach, based on the Theory of Social Representations. The study included 28 adolescents aged between 15 and 18 years old, high school students from two public schools in Belo Horizonte. Data collection took place through open and in-depth interviews, with a semi-structured script. The data were interpreted based on the Structural Analysis of the Narration, proposed by Demazière; Dubar. Results The results found point to positive and negative representations in relation to the interviewees' point of view on the influence of social media on the sexuality of these adolescents. The positive representations found revolve around the ease of access to information and the privacy of being able to search and answer your questions through the internet and other means of communication. The aforementioned negative representations point to the little media approach on the subject, in addition, they indicate sporadic approaches centered on festive periods and dates such as carnival, a unique focus on AIDS and aimed specifically at adult audiences. Conclusions It is necessary to rethink how adolescents and young people today experience their sexuality and how to reach them comprehensively, understanding the need to guarantee appropriate and quality information to adolescents. Key messages The present work leads to reflections on the ways that adolescents experience sexuality today. Currently, teenagers are involved in digital media, including social media, where they can express issues related to sexuality and the way they experience it.