Mashable Survey: How Time Online Affects Your Well-Being

Mashable wants to learn more about how time spent online has affected the well-being of teenagers. We may use any written, anonymous responses in our editorial coverage. If you include an email address in your response, we may contact you to hear more about your personal experience.

We welcome responses from those who are between the ages of 14 and 22. Due to privacy law, we cannot collect responses from those who are 13 or younger. Therefore, if you are 13 or younger, you may not complete the following survey.

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* 1. How old are you?

14-15

16-17

18-19

19-20

21-22

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* 2. As a teenager, how much time do/did you spend using digital media and entertainment (streaming, gaming, social media, tutorials, etc.) excluding schoolwork every day?

Less than an hour

1-2 hours

3-4 hours

4-5 hours

More than five hours

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* 3. Do you think spending time online affects your emotional well-being or mental health?

No effect

Mostly negative effect

Somewhat negative effect

Very little negative effect

Negative and positive effect

Very little positive effect

Somewhat positive effect

Mostly positive effect

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* 4. In a few sentences, describe what you're doing when you feel most happy online.

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* 5. Check all the things that you feel/experience when you're happy online.

Building relationships

Feeling intellectually engaged

Expressing myself creatively

Learning about myself

Getting praise/validation on social media

Promoting my brand or business to help achieve my goals

Learning about the world

Other (please specify)

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* 6. When you felt unhappy after spending time online, what would you say was the main reason? *

Exposure to dangerous strangers or situations

Exposure to bullying

Felt like I was wasting time

Felt lonely, wanted to connect with others but couldn't

Stopped doing things I enjoyed IRL

Feeling inadequate compared to the people I follow on social media

Other (please specify)

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* 7. What's your first name? (optional)

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* 8. What's your email address? (optional)

* If you are struggling with bullying, mental health, or ever feel you need someone to talk with, reach out to a parent, a friend, a school counselor, or an adult you trust, or contact a helpline like the Crisis Text Line by texting: 741741 (US); 686868 (Canada).