Largest social media platform
Mapping online safety & privacy needs of adolescents
We worked on a multiple-market foundational study for a client that was keen on understanding how young people’s privacy needs change from early to late adolescents. The goals of the project were to chart the key maturation milestones for young adults; outline the role of social media in this journey from the perspective of adolescents and caregivers.
Subsequently the goal was also to identity key online education needs of the adolescents.The insights would help better define age-appropriate design for the stakeholders and subsequently help the platform support the young adults on their maturation journey.
Approach
The study consisted of two phases: 1. Phase 1 entailed diary studies and in depth interviews with teens and their caregivers to gain a better sense of the family care set up, key maturation milestones, points of conflict pertaining to privacy concerns between adolescents and their caregivers; and the use of tools to support safety, privacy and well-being. 2. Phase 2 combined diary entries with check in interviews to help teens document their experience with using a social media platform for the first time in order to gain insights on their understanding of safety features their expectations from the platform.
“The only thing I am worried about when using social media is that my account might get hacked by someone! I don’t think the company can do any harm to me personally. What will the company do with my data?”
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Teen boy
Mumbai
Deliverable
We had multiple download sessions with the client team at key milestones in the project in order to discuss unique findings from the India market. The insights showcased the complex decision making process pertaining to social media use and highlighted the critical need for support and education regarding safe online spaces to facilitate self discovery for the teens.
Impact
Our insights were extremely valued by our clients as an India-specific overview of the needs of young adults and the unique challenges they face.Along with the client we were able to identify and map the tussle between teens and caregivers concerning the former’s agency and privacy on these platforms.We also identified the current barriers faced by the stakeholders in order to access tools and resources pertaining to online education. These insights, combined with nuances from the Indian context would help the platform redefine and strengthen their tools and guides to facilitate online safety.
Project Team
Project Manager
Research Lead
UX Researcher
