' It Was an Outlet When I Needed It': Exploring Youth Motivations and Experiences Disclosing Child Maltreatment on Social Media

Background and Purpose: The CDC estimates 1 in 7 U.S. youth endured abuse or neglect in the last year. Early intervention and connection to resources are critical in mitigating negative outcomes related to health and well-being; however, youth are often reticent to tell adults or authorities, favoring peers as confidants for disclosures. Early research demonstrates social media are being used as avenues for child maltreatment disclosure by some youth; however, this research has been limited to secondary analysis of social media posts. The purpose of this study is to expand our knowledge on this topic by collecting primary, qualitative data from survivors of child maltreatment to learn about their use of social media for disclosure.

Methods: We conducted semi-structured interviews with 23 young adults (ages 18-21) in the U.S. who experienced abuse or neglect as a child and disclosed their experiences of maltreatment on social media (this could include public posts, private posts, and/or one-on-one direct messaging). Participants were recruited via a screening survey deployed on Connect/CloudResearch. Interviews were conducted via Teams, averaged 40 minutes in length, and assessed participants’ motivations for posting about their experiences on social media, the types of responses they received, whether social media helped connect them with resources, and how these experiences impacted their overall well-being. Our team utilized inductive, reflexive thematic analysis to analyze the interviews.

Results: We identified 3 primary themes and 6 subthemes which told the story of participants’ experiences. First, social media are filling a gap in resources for youth experiencing maltreatment, something participants explained via subthemes: barriers to help resources designed for child maltreatment (e.g., inability to access resources without parental involvement; mandatory reporting requirements), and desire to seek information and connection (e.g., using social media for psychoeducation about abuse and to validate their experiences). Second, digital communities provide intense levels of support for many youth experiencing maltreatment. Participants described that social media facilitate “intimate bonds” which pose fewer threats of judgment or mandatory reporting than disclosing to offline friends, and discussed how these networks provide support, resources, and harm-reduction strategies. Lastly, participants described risks associated with social media being the “only” accessible resource for youth experiencing maltreatment, most notably that abusive parents have control over youths’ social media use and pushing youth to overuse social media with potential related consequences (e.g., concerns about digital grooming, overexposure to content about abuse).

Conclusions and Implications: In response to inaccessibility and lack of trust in systems intended to address child maltreatment (e.g., Child Protective Services), youth have leveraged social media as a safe space for seeking support and helping one another. While participants reported predominantly positive outcomes from these interactions, notable risks include overburdening minors who are unequipped to navigate complex abuse situations and limits to the type of help that can be offered online. Innovative research is needed to explore how youth disclosing maltreatment on social media can be more effectively identified and connected with professional resources, and to improve youth perceptions of social work systems designed to address child maltreatment.