Digital traces—such as social media posts and app data—are increasingly used in qualitative research, both as primary data sources and as elicitation tools in interviews. One emerging approach, the scroll-back method, uses participants’ own digital traces from social media as prompts to support memory recall, stimulate reflection, and ground discussion in everyday practices. This article examines the adaptability of scroll-back across varied research contexts and developmental populations. We draw on three case studies involving adolescents, young adults, and older adults to illustrate how scroll-back was tailored to different participant groups, digital platforms, and research aims. These examples highlight how the method can be flexibly implemented, for instance through participant-led vs. researcher-led selection of content, by combining with content analysis, and by drawing on digital traces across platforms. Our reflections show that these adaptations supported rich and sometimes unexpected forms of data generation, while also surfacing important ethical and practical challenges, including issues of privacy, emotional risk, digital inclusion, and researcher–participant power dynamics. We conclude by offering a set of methodological considerations for adapting the scroll-back method in future studies. In doing so, we highlight its value not as a fixed protocol, but as a versatile methodological technique that is suited to adaptation across populations, technologies, and substantive topics.

INTRODUCTION:Media and digital technologies shape adolescent development across interconnected online and offline contexts, offering opportunities for learning and connection while also exposing young people to risks that can affect wellbeing. Wellbeing-focused media literacy interventions aim to support young people in understanding and managing how media and technology shape their experiences and wellbeing. Schools are well placed to deliver such interventions at scale through curricular integration. However, existing interventions vary widely in focus, design and evaluation quality making it difficult to determine what works and why. This review synthesises school-based wellbeing-focused media literacy interventions and evaluates their effectiveness across well-being outcomes. METHODS AND ANALYSIS:A range of interdisciplinary databases (ACM Digital Library, British Education Index, CINAHL, ERIC, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Scopus, Web of Science) alongside targeted grey literature searches of internal evaluation reports and dissertations were searched on 20 January 2026. Eligible studies will include school-based interventions for adolescents aged 11-18. Abstracts and full texts will be screened in Covidence, and relevant data extracted using an adapted Template for Intervention Description and Replication (TIDieR) framework. A three-level random effects meta-analysis will estimate pooled effects across psychological, social, physical and digital wellbeing domains. Narrative synthesis, informed by the adapted TIDieR framework, will explore intervention content, delivery and theoretical foundations to identify mechanisms of change and sources of heterogeneity. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION:Ethical approval is not required for this systematic review, as it will only include published data. The review findings will be disseminated through a peer-reviewed publication and conference presentations. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER:CRD420251269724.

Introduction:Children and young people with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) face disproportionate challenges due to core symptoms of ADHD (i.e., inattention and hyperactivity) interfering with academic, social, and behavioural functioning. The significant rise in the prevalence of ADHD and difficulties experienced by children and young people over recent years has put a lot more emphasis on school-based interventions. Despite this, and the tremendous amount of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) reporting school-based interventions for ADHD over the past decades, there has been no systematic reporting of the pooled effects of such trials in the literature. Methods:This study seeks, for the first time, to report the effects of school-based RCTs on the core symptoms of ADHD and other difficulties, i.e., academic, social, emotional and behavioural (i.e., externalising). Search was performed in three journals, for interventions from 1980 to 2024 that targeted school-aged children (4 to 18 years old) with ADHD. Results:In total, 26 randomised controlled trials met the inclusion criteria, 22 (n = 1962) of which were included in our meta-analyses. Our findings showed that school-based based randomised controlled trials were effective in improving combined ADHD (d = -0.28, p < 0.0001), inattention (d = -0.33, p < 0.0001), academic performance (d = 0.37, p < 0.0001), and social skills (d = 0.28, p < 0.001), and reducing externalising problems (d = -0.32, p = 0.001). There was no significant effect for hyperactivity/impulsivity (d = -0.09, p = 0.22). Discussion:Our findings showed that school-based randomised controlled trials improve a range of difficulties experienced by children and young people with ADHD, but lack focus on hyperactivity/impulsivity. Future interventions would benefit from a more comprehensive focus on hyperactivity/impulsivity for system-wide improvement. Issues related to high levels of heterogeneity and potential reporter bias are further discussed.

Appearance-related content is ubiquitous across highly visual social media platforms, in both imagery and text. The present study aims to explore the content of text-based interactions initiated by self-images on Instagram. Seventeen adolescent girls from the UK (Age M = 15.12; SD = 1.80; Range = 12-18) provided data from their most recent Instagram posts (up to 10 posts) as part of one-to-one interviews. This included images (n = 85), captions (n = 85), direct comments on images (n = 630) and participants' first replies to direct comments (n = 459). An inductive-deductive content analysis was used to analyse Instagram data, and a template analysis was used to analyse the interview data to aid with the interpretation of the content. Analyses showed positive appearance-related compliments were highly prevalent on Instagram posts (79.2 % of comments) and were considered the norm. Compliments tended to focus on general, rather than specific appearance qualities. Girls tended to respond to compliments using likes, gratitude, or affectionate expressions. The findings highlight the role of self-objectification and self-presentation strategies in dictating the norms of adolescent girls' text-based interactions on Instagram. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

Many young women turned to digital fitness technologies (DFT) to support their health and wellbeing during the covid-19 pandemic. The present study explores young student women’s retrospective perceptions of their cumulative engagement with DFT, across periods of restriction and easing (March 2020–2021). Seventeen UK-based women (Age M = 20.29, SD = 1.72); Ethnicity White = 94.12% participated in one-on-one interviews using an adapted scroll-back technique. Data was analysed using narrative-informed reflexive thematic analysis. Three themes were developed: My lockdown #fitnesstransformation: DFT as information and inspiration, My unrealistic expectations: DFT as a source of comparison and concern and My new body positive and resilient self: DFT as a catalyst to self-development. Themes highlight how perceptions of DFT changed over time as a consequence of repeat engagement, sociocultural context and psychological meaning-making. Crucially, findings underscore the importance of examining the collective and cumulative effects of DFT engagement on health and wellbeing, both positive and negative.

Appearance-related interactions with peers, both positive and negative, are commonplace on social media. Using qualitative methods, this study explores U.K. adolescents' shared understandings and experiences of these interactions. Sixty-four adolescents (Age M = 12.56; SD = 0.97; Girls = 33) from a secondary school in Northern England participated in semi-structured focus groups. Using thematic analysis, three themes were developed that encapsulate their shared understandings of appearance-related interactions: (a) positive appearance commentary is the norm, especially if you are popular and attractive; (b) comments to others should be positive, but comments about the self should be modest and self-deprecating; and (c) negative appearance comments are problematic but not always intentionally harmful. Overall, our findings suggest that, to adolescents, the boundaries between positive and negative interactions are blurred, as content, intention, gender, and social rules intersect with social media platform design. Further research is needed to better understand how social media site design alters adolescents' appearance interactions, as well as the role of these interactions in the development and maintenance of peer relationships and body image concerns.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a broad, multi-disciplinary overview of key insights, persistent gaps, and future paths in youth digital well-being research from the perspectives of researchers who are conducting this work. Participants included 38 researchers representing diverse disciplinary fields from universities and research institutes spanning 12 countries. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 25 researchers via Zoom and hosted a two-day virtual convening with 26 researchers, 13 of whom had participated in the interviews. We employed reflexive thematic analysis to analyze the interview and convening data. Our analysis surfaced three notable developments in youth digital well-being research: (1) greater nuance in measures of young people’s social media experiences, (2) increased representation of diverse adolescents’ experiences, and (3) a growing number of interventions targeting youth digital well-being. Persistent gaps include a relative lack of cross-cultural work, particularly in the Global South, as well as culturally sensitive interventions that fit the needs and contexts of diverse youth. By examining existing research through the perspectives of researchers spanning multiple fields, we contribute a cross-disciplinary view on the current state of knowledge and identify priorities for youth digital well-being research.

AbstractBackgroundAdolescents' engagement with online mental health support (e.g., apps, social media) may affect their engagement with traditional support, including in schools. However, research has typically considered engagement with online‐ and school‐based mental health support separately meaning the mesosystemic interaction between the two is overlooked. Using co‐produced exploratory qualitative methods, the present study explored adolescents' and adult stakeholders' perceptions of how and why adolescents engage with school‐based and online mental health support, the interaction between these two modalities, and the associated risks and opportunities.MethodsA youth advisory board (n = 4; Age = 18–25) co‐created data collection methods, ethics procedures, and data analysis. For the main phase of data collection, 27 adolescents (Age M = 15.42, SD = 1.58, Range = 12–18, Girls = 73.1%, White = 84.6%) with mental health difficulties who had engaged with online support while at school were recruited from across England. Participants chose to participate in an interview (n = 10) or focus group (n = 17, 5 groups). In addition, interviews were conducted with 12 adult stakeholders who worked in fields related youth mental health.ResultsData was analysed using template analysis resulting in four themes; (a) Support is abundant, but accessing what you need when you need it is tough, (b) Human connection is vital and can be achieved in diverse ways, (c) Striving for autonomy and control, (d) Navigating credibility and trust across contexts.ConclusionsDifferent types of support met adolescents' needs in different ways, and each offered relative strengths and weaknesses. Findings highlight how adolescents value autonomy and choice when engaging with support, using multiple different sources of support in complementary and self‐directed ways to meet their needs. Several challenges were identified across settings, which could be overcome through increased collaboration. This improved collaboration has potential to improve the quality of support available to adolescents.

OBJECTIVES:Living within a larger body brings unique challenges to exercise participation, which are poorly understood. This qualitative study explored the attitudes towards, and experiences of, exercise participation in adults with class III obesity. DESIGN:Individual semi-structured qualitative interviews. METHODS:We recruited 30 adults with class III obesity (body mass index: 45.8 ± 8.6 kg/m2) from a specialist multidisciplinary weight management service. Participants took part in semi-structured interviews while participating in a 6-month home-based aerobic and resistance exercise intervention. Open-ended questions were used flexibly to explore their views and experiences of exercise, encompassing barriers, motives and perceived benefits. Transcripts were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. RESULTS:Three themes were developed: (1) a web of barriers; (2) tailored exercise facilitates positive experiences; and (3) a desire to live a normal life. People with class III obesity perceived that they were unable to do exercise; a view that was attributed to perceived judgement, low physical function, pain during everyday activities and failed weight loss attempts. These complex physical and psychosocial barriers to exercise were described as contributing to exercise avoidance. High value was placed on tailored exercise that accommodates the unique needs of moving in a larger body. A desire to carry out everyday tasks underpinned motivations for exercise. CONCLUSIONS:Our findings suggest that multi-component obesity interventions should move away from generic exercise prescriptions designed to maximize energy expenditure, and instead move towards addressing the unique physical and psychosocial needs of people who have class III obesity with tailored person-centred and weight-neutral exercise prescriptions.

Sexual harassment is highly prevalent in online settings, including social media, and has negative consequences for young women's mental health. Understanding the psychological mechanisms underpinning these negative effects is important. Using an expanded objectification theory model as our theoretical framework (Calogero et al., 2021), we examine the relationship between sexual harassment on social media and young student women's body shame and personal safety anxiety, cross-sectionally and longitudinally including by examining self-objectification as a mediator. Data from 207 student women aged 18-25 years (M = 21.06, SD = 1.89) from the United Kingdom were collected at two time points 10 weeks apart. Cross-sectional analyses at Time 1 and Time 2 showed that sexual harassment on social media was indirectly associated with body shame and physical safety anxiety via self-objectification, with additional direct paths to body shame (Time 1 and Time 2) and physical safety anxiety (Time 2 only). Over 10 weeks, sexual harassment on social media was not indirectly associated with body shame or physical safety anxiety, via self-objectification at Time 1 or Time 2. These findings provide cross-sectional but not longitudinal support for an expanded objectification theory model in online contexts. Our findings have important methodological implications for research examining objectification processes over time that are discussed within.

OBJECTIVE:This study aimed to investigate the emotional experiences and beliefs of individuals who engage in self-harm by analyzing data from an online self-harm forum. Emphasis was placed on understanding how these individuals describe and evaluate their emotions (emotion beliefs) and the role these beliefs play in their emotion regulation and self-harming behaviors. METHOD:A total of 119 posts from a self-harm discussion board on the forum were analyzed. Thematic analysis, following a critical realist perspective, was employed to identify and interpret recurring patterns in how posters articulated their emotion beliefs. RESULTS:Four themes were created during analysis: "My emotions are too much," "Self-harm as control or controlled by self-harm," "Suppression is better than expression," and "Self-harm helps me escape my emotional pain." Posters described experiencing overwhelming, uncontrollable, and unacceptable emotions, resulting in a desire to suppress or escape them through self-harm. CONCLUSIONS:Individuals struggling with self-harm hold negative beliefs about their emotions, which intensify emotional experiences and contribute to feelings of shame and guilt. The findings highlight the necessity of interventions targeting these negative emotion-related beliefs to foster alternative emotional regulation strategies and reduce reliance on self-harm, as well as the importance of increased education on these emotional beliefs for those who support them, in order to reduce stigma. Furthermore, the study emphasizes the potential of online forums in gaining valuable insights into sensitive behaviors.

Creating and sharing content that ostensibly inspires fitness remains a popular use of Instagram. This study aims to understand constructions of fitness motivation in Instagram posts labeled "#fitspiration" from 2021 and draw comparisons to posts from 2014. A data set of 1,000 posts (n = 790 after exclusion criteria applied) labeled #fitspiration was extracted in January 2021 and compared to an analysis of 1,000 posts extracted in January 2014 (n = 944 postexclusions; Deighton-Smith & Bell, 2018). Content analysis showed images mainly contained exercise-related content, people, and text. People were typically depicted in gendered and objectified ways, and adhered to sociocultural body ideals surrounding thinness and muscularity. While comparable with the 2014 data set, significantly more exercise images and significantly fewer diet images were found, along with fewer markers of objectification and thin and/or muscular bodies. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to analyse text contained within images. Three themes were developed; (a) "Never miss a Monday": Fitness and health have rules, (b) Just do it: Lifting the weight of self-doubt, and (c) Strive to be the best: Consequences of decision making. Like the 2014 data set, themes constructed thin and muscular bodies as the desired end-goal of fitness and emphasized personal responsibility for fitness practices. However, some messages from 2014 were less salient (e.g., equating fitness with sexual attractiveness) and different ways of motivating fitness were identified (e.g., through instruction). Combined, analyses highlight how #fitspiration content in 2021 was similar to 2014, but with more emphasis on exercise and slightly less on appearance.

Background Exercise is first-line treatment for class III obesity. However, living within a larger body brings unique and non-trivial challenges to exercise participation, which are not well understood. This qualitative study explored the attitudes towards, and experiences of, exercise participation in adults with class III obesity. Methods We recruited 30 adults with class III obesity (mean ± SD: age: 45.0 ± 12.5 years; body mass index: 45.8 ± 8.6 kg/m 2 ) who were participating in a 6-month home-based aerobic and resistance exercise intervention. Participants took part in semi-structured interviews after they completed the first 3-months of the intervention. Open-ended questions were used flexibly to explore their experiences of exercise participation, encompassing perceived barriers, motivations, preferences, and benefits of exercise. Interview transcripts were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Results Three themes were developed that encapsulate participants’ views and experiences of exercise participation: (1) a web of barriers; (2) tailored exercise facilitates positive experiences; (3) a desire to live well. People with class III obesity have a strong perception that they are unable to do exercise; a view that is attributed to a lifetime of perceived judgement by others, restrictions in mobility, pain during every day activities, and failed weight loss attempts. These complex physical and psychosocial barriers to exercise were described as contributing to exercise avoidance. High value is placed on tailored exercise that accommodates for the unique needs of moving in a larger body. A desire to live a normal life and be free to carry out basic activities of daily living underpins motivations for exercise. Conclusions Our findings suggest that multicomponent obesity interventions should move away from generic exercise prescriptions designed to maximise energy expenditure, and instead move towards addressing the unique physical and psychosocial needs of people who have class III obesity with tailored, person-centred, and weight-neutral exercise interventions.

AbstractBackground Exercise is first-line treatment for class III obesity. However, living within a larger body brings unique and non-trivial challenges to exercise participation, which are not well understood. This qualitative study explored the attitudes towards, and experiences of, exercise participation in adults with class III obesity. Methods We recruited 30 adults with class III obesity (mean ± SD: age: 45.0 ± 12.5 years; body mass index: 45.8 ± 8.6 kg/m2) who were participating in a 6-month home-based aerobic and resistance exercise intervention. Participants took part in semi-structured interviews after they completed the first 3-months of the intervention. Open-ended questions were used flexibly to explore their experiences of exercise participation, encompassing perceived barriers, motivations, preferences, and benefits of exercise. Interview transcripts were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Results Three themes were developed that encapsulate participants’ views and experiences of exercise participation: (1) a web of barriers; (2) tailored exercise facilitates positive experiences; (3) a desire to live well. People with class III obesity have a strong perception that they are unable to do exercise; a view that is attributed to a lifetime of perceived judgement by others, restrictions in mobility, pain during every day activities, and failed weight loss attempts. These complex physical and psychosocial barriers to exercise were described as contributing to exercise avoidance. High value is placed on tailored exercise that accommodates for the unique needs of moving in a larger body. A desire to live a normal life and be free to carry out basic activities of daily living underpins motivations for exercise. Conclusions Our findings suggest that multicomponent obesity interventions should move away from generic exercise prescriptions designed to maximise energy expenditure, and instead move towards addressing the unique physical and psychosocial needs of people who have class III obesity with tailored, person-centred, and weight-neutral exercise interventions.

Background A growing body of research has linked social media use to negative body image. Aims The present research aimed to evaluate the efficacy of Digital Bodies, a brief classroom-based intervention that aims to improve adolescents' body image. Methods British adolescents (N = 290; Age M = 12.81; SD = 0.40; Range = 12-13; Female = 151) were cluster randomized to intervention or waiting list control groups. Measures of body satisfaction, appearance ideal internalization (thin and athletic ideal internalization) and self-objectification were completed at baseline (T1), 1-week post-intervention (T2) and 8-week follow-up (T3). Results Multi-level modelling showed adolescents in the intervention group reported improved body satisfaction at T2, in comparison to the control, and crucially this effect was sustained at T3. Additionally, girls reported less thin ideal internalization at T2 relative to the control, but this effect was not sustained at T3. No other intervention effects were found. Conclusions Overall, the findings provide initial support for the efficacy of Digital Bodies as an intervention for improving adolescents' body satisfaction.

This article identifies a conceptual paradox between recent educational policy in England and a social-democratic understanding of critical literacy. Recent political events including Brexit, the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election, and the Coronavirus Pandemic reiterate the need for pedagogies that equip students to critique information circulated online. After setting out critical literacy’s genealogy as a democratic educational model, the authors situate these theoretical approaches within the context of English secondary education reform. The article then draws on teacher agency research to consider the practical barriers to implementing a critical literacy pedagogy capable of navigating the present political landscape. Addressing gaps within literary education and digital media research, the overall argument is that educational policy in England since 2010 has served the priorities of a neoliberal state system. In this context, enacting the democratic, social-justice orientated critical literacy demanded by the challenges of communicating in the twenty-first-century is both daunting and urgent.

Binge eating is a subjective loss of control while eating, which leads to the consumption of large amounts of food. It can cause significant emotional distress and is often accompanied by purging behaviors (eg, meal skipping, overexercising, or vomiting). The aim of this study was to explore the potential of mobile sensing to detect indicators of binge-eating episodes, with a view toward informing the design of future context-aware mobile interventions. This study was conducted in 2 stages. The first involved the development of the DeMMI (Detecting Mental health behaviors using Mobile Interactions) app. As part of this, we conducted a consultation session to explore whether the types of sensor data we were proposing to capture were useful and appropriate, as well as to gather feedback on some specific app features relating to self-reporting. The second stage involved conducting a 6-week period of data collection with 10 participants experiencing binge eating (logging both their mood and episodes of binge eating) and 10 comparison participants (logging only mood). An optional interview was conducted after the study, which discussed their experience using the app, and 8 participants (n=3, 38% binge eating and n=5, 63% comparisons) consented. The findings showed unique differences in the types of sensor data that were triangulated with the individuals’ episodes (with nearby Bluetooth devices, screen and app use features, mobility features, and mood scores showing relevance). Participants had a largely positive opinion about the app, its unobtrusive role, and its ease of use. Interacting with the app increased participants’ awareness of and reflection on their mood and phone usage patterns. Moreover, they expressed no privacy concerns as these were alleviated by the study information sheet. This study contributes a series of recommendations for future studies wishing to scale our approach and for the design of bespoke mobile interventions to support this population.

Introduction Head hair comprises a critical part of the male appearance ideal, which itself is a crucial signifier of a man’s masculinity. However, difficulties in recruitment have meant that research has not yet fully explored how men construct the loss of head hair (baldness), perhaps because it is considered “feminine” to disclose body dissatisfaction experiences to a researcher or other people. Methods and Design Online forums provide an opportunity for the anonymous discussion of body dissatisfaction that may overcome this obstacle. The first 260 forums posts from the two most popular baldness forums were thematically analysed. Ethics Statement Institutional ethics approval was granted. Results and Discussion We identified three themes titled: (1) Baldness is an ugly and demasculinising condition, (2) Baldness is stigmatised by a superficial society and superficial women and (3) Resistance to baldness despair. Our findings show baldness distress, and stigma exist though so does resistance, which can be comforting to men experiencing baldness or any form of body dissatisfaction. Conclusion and Implications Online forums are a salient resource to enhance our understanding of men’s balding concerns and disclosure barriers. Independent, professional and effective baldness support that unpacks baldness masculinised and medicalised framing is recommended.

Mobile technologies potentially expose children and adolescents to increasing online risk. These risks take many forms and are widely categorized using the 4Cs: Content, Conduct, Contact, and Commerce. Commerce is the least developed category and, while it has significant overlap with what is known as Dark Design within the field of UX, amalgamation of Dark Design and the 4Cs has not yet been considered. Within this paper we integrate Dark Design into the 4Cs to provide a set of questions we call RIGA (Risk In Games Assessment) and use RIGA to identify potential risks to children and adolescents in free-to-play mobile gaming apps. The key contribution of this paper is the integration of contemporary understandings of Dark Design into the 4Cs framework, through the RIGA question set, which can support research and practitioner communities in identifying potential risk to young people present in mobile gaming apps.