To be yourself in an online world during Covid-19. Experiencing negative events, (problematic) social media use and the impact on feelings of authenticity in Dutch young people: boys versus girls.

Being true to yourself and showing who you are, that is, being authentic, is essential for the health and well-being of young people. During the COVID-19 pandemic, social media use among young people increased. This way they could maintain social contacts and deal with negative events related to the pandemic, such as closing schools, becoming ill with the virus themselves or becoming ill or even the death of loved ones. In this study we investigate to what extent experiencing negative events related to COVID-19 led to more (problematic) use of social media and whether there is a negative impact on authenticity, especially for girls. This knowledge is relevant for young people, their parents and (preventive) youth health care professionals to better deal with the use of social media and the impact this can have on the authenticity of young people, both in times of corona and afterwards.