Information For School Personnel

Social media, Online communication, Crime Involvement and Adolescent Lives Study – SOCIALs

Social media is an important part of young people’s social and emotional lives. However, there are many concerns about its negative effects on young people’s well-being and behavior. Education also faces complex challenges related to social media and youth issues.

What does participation involve?

We will administer a digital questionnaire to students (in the first and third years) at a mutually agreed time between January and March 2026. At MBO institutions, the questionnaire will be administered to first-year students. They will complete the questionnaire on their own laptop or tablet, under the supervision of one of our researchers. The study will run for three years, with follow-up measurements in 2027 and 2028. Participation by students is, of course, voluntary, and the privacy of students and schools is guaranteed.

What are the benefits?

For your school:

If 50+ students participate, you will receive a report containing:

• Your students’ social media use
• Exposure to risky social media content (such as images of weapons, violence, and drugs)
• Insight into any signs of substance use or problem behavior
• If desired, a comparison with other participating schools (anonymized)

For participants:

• All students who participate (e.g. in focus groups, pilots or VR studies) will receive a gift voucher as a thank you.

For science:

We investigate important questions such as:

• The influence of social media content on young people
• Which young people are most susceptible
• To what extent do online conflicts or bullying lead to offline violence?

Practical

The exercise takes one lesson hour to complete and ties in well with social studies, for example. We are happy to discuss which time and method works best for you.

Frequently Asked Questions

When does the study take place?

The study will take place over three years, with data collection occurring in 2026 and 2027. In 2026, between January and March, students will complete the questionnaires during one lesson, at a time arranged in collaboration with you. We will then return in 2026 and 2027 to repeat the same process.

What does it cost the school?

• Time during school hours: 1 lesson hour per class, for three consecutive school years.
• School contact person: A contact person within the school supports us by sending reminders to parents.
• Information to parents: At the beginning of each school year, parents receive an invitation to participate. This requires no extra effort on the part of the school, except for sending the letter home and having the contact person help remind parents.
• Parent participation: Parents receive an invitation to participate in the study. This requires no extra effort on the part of the school, except for sending the letter home and the contact person helping to remind parents.

What if we’re not sure about taking part yet?

No problem, just reach out. We’re happy to talk it through and find an approach that works best for your context.

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Get in touch

For more information about this research, please contact us via our project contact details

06-25490826 (Phone/Whatsapp/Signal) | Projectsocials@nscr.nl