Lived experiences of adolescents seeking mental health support through social media: a phenomenological study

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to explore the lived experiences of adolescents seeking mental health support through social media. METHODS: The study employed a qualitative phenomenological design. Data were collected through semi-structured in-depth interviews with 14 purposively selected adolescents aged 15-18 years from senior high schools in Bandung, Indonesia. All interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using Colaizzi's phenomenological method to identify significant statements, formulate meanings, and develop themes that captured the essence of adolescents' lived experiences. RESULTS: The findings yielded four main themes. The first theme describes social media as the first and most accessible doorway to help, where adolescents turned to digital platforms when support was not immediately available and used them as an initial step before seeking offline help. The second theme highlights how anonymity and distance created a safer space to open up, allowing adolescents to feel less judged and more in control of what, when, and how they disclosed their feelings. The third theme reflects adolescents' experiences of feeling understood, validated, and less alone through shared experiences and empathic responses from peers. The fourth theme demonstrates that social media was helpful, but also emotionally uncertain and risky, as adolescents encountered confusion, misinformation, insensitive responses, and emotionally triggering content. CONCLUSION: Social media plays a meaningful yet complex role in adolescents' mental health help-seeking experiences. These findings suggest that social media may serve as a complementary pathway in adolescent mental health support, but should be accompanied by digital literacy, trustworthy guidance, and clear referral pathways to professional care. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: These findings highlight the need for mental health nurses, school nurses, counselors, and adolescent health professionals to recognize social media as an early and informal help-seeking space for adolescents. These findings suggest that clinical practice may benefit from sensitive assessment of adolescents' online help-seeking experiences, digital mental health literacy education, and clear referral pathways to safe and professional mental health support. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: Adolescents contributed to this study by sharing their lived experiences through semi-structured in-depth interviews. Five participants were also involved in member checking to verify whether the overall phenomenological description and thematic interpretation reflected their experiences. Their feedback supported the overall thematic structure and resulted only in minor clarification of the wording of selected interpretations. However, adolescents, patients, caregivers, service users, or members of the public were not involved in the initial study design, formal data analysis, or manuscript preparation.