Presenter: Jingying Liu

Title: Platform, trust, and teenagers: A proposed survey study on TikTok use and institutional trust among Canadian adolescents aged 13–17

Type of Presentation: Poster Presentation

Abstract

This research proposal is based on my interest in spending a lot of time on social media and I noticed firsthand how easy it is to come across misleading information while scrolling through TikTok. I have chosen to present this research as a poster presentation. Studies in this area often focus on exposure to misinformation and trust (Ognyanova et al., 2020), and that social media platforms tend to produce greater trust erosion than legacy news platforms (Mont’Alverne et al., 2024). However, there is still a gap in understanding that specifically examines how TikTok affects institutional trust in younger teenagers aged 13–17. This project asks: to what extent do TikTok consumers aged 13–17 differ in institutional trust scores compared to legacy news consumers? This study will focus on 300–400 teenagers aged 13–17 in Canada. Data will be collected through survey and I will compare the two groups using an independent samples t-test. I expect the finding to show that TikTok users will report lower scores than legacy news consumers. A limitation of this research includes potential self-report bias and the challenge of obtaining parental consent for participants under 16.

Biography

I am a first-year international student at UBC. Outside of my studies, I enjoy spending time with my cat and exploring Vancouver. Like most people my age, I grew up surrounded by social media and have always been curious about how it shapes the way young people think. That curiosity is what drew me to this research topic, and I hope it can help young people navigate the online world more critically.