‘The tracking was in control of me’: exploring affordances of self-tracking tools for adolescents’ psychological wellbeing

Abstract

Self-tracking tools are increasingly used to promote enhanced physical health and wellbeing; however, emerging research suggests that their relationship with psychological wellbeing might be more complex. These considerations are particularly important for adolescents who may want to learn about their bodies at a time of rapid physiological change. This paper reports on the findings from online interviews with 29 adolescents in the United Kingdom to understand the affordances of self-tracking tools for psychological wellbeing. Findings indicate that adolescents’ relationship with self-tracking is not static and whilst positive for some, others struggle with a loss of control. Calorie-tracking is particularly challenging for some adolescents. Researchers, designers, and other key stakeholders must consider what is at stake here for adolescents and assess how we might reconfigure the emotional affordances of self-tracking tools to promote control and balance and provide a system that is designed with and for adolescent self-trackers.