The use of social media among adolescents in Dar es Salaam and Mtwara, Tanzania

Datos Bibliográficos

ID3972878
AutoresConstanze Pfeiffer (0000-0002-9487-2867, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute), Matthis Kleeb (Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute), Alice Mbelwa (Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute), Collins Ahorlu (0000-0001-8116-3984, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research)
Año2014
Volumen22
Número43
Páginas178-186
Fecha de publicación2014-01-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessNo
TipoARTICLE
RevistaReproductive Health Matters (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0968-8080 • E-ISSN: 1460-9576
EditorialInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1016/s0968-8080(14)43756-x
PMID24908469
OpenAlexW2113827389
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas20
Referencias citadas19

Social media form part of the rapid worldwide digital development that is re-shaping the life of many young people. While the use of social media by youths is increasingly researched in the North, studies about youth in the South are missing. It therefore remains unclear how social media can be included in interventions that aim at informing young people in many countries of the global South about sexual and reproductive health. This paper presents findings of a mixed-methods study of young people's user behaviour on the internet and specifically of social media as a platform for sexual health promotion in Tanzania. The study used questionnaires with 60 adolescents and in-depth interviews with eight students aged 15 to 19 years in Dar es Salaam, and in Mtwara, Southern Tanzania. Findings show that youth in Dar es Salaam and Mtwara access the internet mainly through mobile phones. Facebook is by far the most popular internet site. Adolescents highlighted their interest in reproductive and sexual health messages and updates being delivered through humorous posts, links and clips, as well as by youth role models like music stars and actors that are entertaining and reflect up-to-date trends of modern youth culture

Dar es salaam · Environmental health · Geography · Political science · Population · Social media · Socioeconomics · Sociology · Tanzania · Child Development and Digital Technology · ICT in Developing Communities · Impact of Technology on Adolescents · Medicine