Tanzania youth and social media: perceptions, experiences and implications for human rights violations

Social media (SM) use has surged dramatically over the past few decades due to widespread access to electronic devices and the internet. Although SM platforms provide various benefits, there are clear patterns of young people’s misuse, leading to violations of human rights. The article builds on earlier global studies by qualitatively analysing how university students perceive and experience SM use in promoting human rights (HR) violations. The data were collected through Focus Group Discussion (FGD) and face-to-face Key In-depth Interview (KII) techniques and analysed thematically through NVivo 12 software. The findings revealed a greater degree of awareness about SM and HRs. There were also instances of SM abuse motivated by peer pressure, financial gain, self-political interests, and relational conflicts. These contributed to abuses of children’s, women’s, and youth rights. It recommends that stakeholders teach youth about essential societal values and challenges associated with ICT use to avoid SM misuse.