Project Overview
The aim of this research project was to examine how social media use is related to young people’s experience and enactment of empathy and honesty, and their identification with moral values. The Influence of Parents and the Media project explored the most effective types of regulation strategy that parents employ in mediating the effects of social media use. The study also examined how social media use is related to young people’s experience and enactment of empathy and honesty, and their identification with moral values. The findings of the study are presented in two research papers, Parents and Social Media and Empathy and Authenticity Online which were published on 8th December 2017.
Parents and Social Media
In response to parental concerns about the impact of social media on young people’s character and moral development, the Parents and Social Media research paper focuses on parental regulation of adolescents’ social media use, with a particular emphasis on morally salient scenarios involving the virtues of empathy and honesty. The research provides practical advice and reassurance on strategies to regulate social media use in young people, especially in situations where moral values are implicated.
Empathy and Authenticity Online
The Empathy and Authenticity Online research paper explored the psychological constructs that encourage and discourage empathy and authenticity in the online environment. The findings indicate that moral identity is more strongly related to moral traits online and that by encouraging the development and accessibility of moral identity (through parental strategies, educational programmes, and priming accessibility, for instance) it may be possible to promote moral thoughts, feelings and behaviours when interacting in the online environment.
