Learning Mental Health Through Social Media: Evidence from Riliv’s Instagram Use Among Adolescent

Abstract

For many adolescents, social media is an inarguable resource for mental health information. With this knowledge, social media helps users navigate mental health problems. This study investigates Instagram and Riliv as digital mental health learning tools for adolescents. The researcher employed a quantitative methodology and collected data using purposive sampling of 100 adolescent followers of Riliv. Findings from this study suggested adolescents aren't having a passive, entertainment-focused experience on Instagram. Their interaction with mental health content gives them the ability to pay attention to, remember, and practice mental health concepts in real life. The results also revealed that mental health awareness was connected with 0.601, and that Instagram explained 36.2% of the variation in participants' digital engagement and mental health knowledge. These results imply that social media can serve as a non-formal educational setting that promotes teenage mental health literacy. According to Bandura's social learning theory, teenagers' cognitive engagement with mental health material is significantly shaped by digital interaction and observational learning.