The impact of social media on adolescent conformity: mechanisms, individual moderators, and implications for AI-Empowered assistive technologies

Background: This experimental study explores how social media influences adolescent conformity behaviour and investigates underlying psychological mechanisms and individual differences. Objective: By aligning with the scope of the "AI-empowered Assistive Technology" special issue, our work provides theoretical insights into how AI-enabled systems—such as personalised social media literacy tools, adaptive feedback interfaces, and AI-driven content filtering mechanisms—can mitigate the impact of social pressure and support adolescents with lower self-esteem or higher social anxiety. Methods: In a 2 (social media influence: high vs. low) × 2 (source credibility: high vs. low) between-subjects design with 302 participants, results demonstrate that heightened social media influence significantly increases conformity behaviour (F(1, 298) = 73.26, p < .001, η2 = .20), with perceived social pressure partially mediating this effect (indirect effect = 0.24, 95% CI [0.17, 0.33]). Self-esteem negatively moderates (β = −0.18, p < .001), while social anxiety positively moderates (β = 0.22, p < .001) this influence. Additionally, high source credibility amplifies conformity (F(1, 298) = 5.84, p = .016, η2 = .02). Results: These findings illuminate the psychological dynamics of social media–induced conformity and underscore the role of individual differences in modulating this process. Conclusion: Specifically, AI applications could offer individualised interventions to enhance resilience and autonomy in digital social environments, addressing the needs of vulnerable users in assistive contexts. This interdisciplinary approach bridges psychological mechanisms of conformity with the design of AI-empowered assistive technologies for enhanced human–computer interaction and well-being in the digital age.