#So.Me Study Timeline
#So.Me is happening in 5 key phases over three years:
We’ll be working with young people from schools across England to deliver the study. If you’re school is interested in taking part, then click below to get in touch!
Glossary
Before you dig into the project timeline, there are a few words and phrases we think it is helpful to define.
Measure: a questionnaire made up of several questions with response options like 0-5, where 0 means “I disagree” and 5 means “I agree”.
Items: the individual questions that make up a measure (or questionnaire).
Delphi study: a study that consults experts and aims to generate agreement amongst them, considering a particular issue.
Piloting measure: a pilot measure is simply a ‘‘first draft’. ‘Piloting the measure’ involves a small scale ‘testing’ of this draft to make sure it works as we expect it to.
Objective assessment: drawing conclusions based on observations and measurements from social media.
Psychometric analysis: psychometrics is the study of psychological measurement, considering the theory and practice of developing, administering, assessing, and interpreting psychological variables, such as personality traits, cognitive skills, and intelligence.
Validation: checking or proving the accuracy of something.
Phase One: Item Development
February 2023 - September 2024
Phase one involves multiple strands, as outlined below. The data we collect in this phase will be used to inform a first draft of possible questionnaire items.
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We held group discussions with young people in years 7 - 10 to find out how they engage with social media and what their experiences are.
These group discussions have helped us to understand not only how and why young people use social media, but also what they think the key issues and benefits are. This learning has shaped the questions we asked in the Delphi study.
Find out what young people told us here.
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The Delphi study brought together adult experts on social media and mental health, and young people as ‘experts by experience.’
We asked them to rate what they thought the most important social media experiences were in relation to mental health, allowing us to look at differences and similarities in opinion across adults and young people.
Take a look at the study summary here to find out where young people and adults agree and disagree.
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Using a new and secure smartphone app, we asked young people to share their daily experiences of social media use, thoughts, and emotions.
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Based on the data we collected through these first studies, plus existing research about young people’s social media experiences, we drafted our first measure.
This included eight ‘domains’ of experience, with 107 items across those domains.
You can see a summary of the domains here.
Phase Two: Item selection
October 2024 - December 2024
Phase two will test the possible items generated in phase one, to see which are most appropriate. This phase is also an opportunity to make sure items are worded appropriately and are easy for young people to understand and respond to. Phase two will result in a pilot measure ready for testing.
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All items were tested for language and reading age. This will helped us to ensure they are appropriate for young people, and helped us to make some decisions about how to edit items.
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We undertook interviews with 35 young people and gathered their views on the phrasing and content of items. participants also gave insights into how they interpreted what is being asked.
Based on this feedback, we deleted 15 items, created 9 news ones, and edited 54 items. This meant we had 103 items in our draft measure to test in the pilot phase.
Read the report here.
Phase Three: Piloting
January 2025 - July 2025
Phase three is where we pilot the measure. As well as asking young people to complete the self-report questionnaire, we’ll collect subjective smart phone experience data to help us understand how some social media experiences happen ‘in the moment’.
The data collected through the stages outlined below will be subjected to psychometric analysis to identify poor performing items, and establish evidence for the quality of the measure.
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We tested the measure with over 8,000 young people in years 7-10 across 17 schools in England and Wales. We collected data during Children's Mental Health Week 2025.
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We used a special app to collect data from 400 young people over a two-week period. The app collected data about young people’s social media use and their daily emotions.
Phase Four: Validation
July 2025 - January 2025
Some changes will be made after phase three, so phase four is important to confirm how useful the measure is. We’ll work with a new group of young people to test the measure, and conduct another round of psychometric testing on the results.
Phase Five: Manualisation
November 2025 - January 2026
Phase five is about developing a technical manual to help others use the measure. we’ll be publishing the study data and app so other researchers can re-use it in their own work.
We’ll also be sharing the study’s key findings, through the project partners and at special events.
Once this phase is complete the #So.Me study will come to a close and the measure will be available for researchers to use with young people. An important next step will be to use the measure to collect data, so we can better understand how young people experience social media and how this relates their mental health and wellbeing.
