A Psychological Study on Social Media Use Related to Anime, Comic, and Game Among Adolescents

The young generation is confronted with increasing online social media and Anime, Comic, and Game (ACG) culture. Their mental health and motivation related to ACG are worthy to be examined. This empirical study carried out in-depth interviews among Chinese adolescents. The analysis reveals that the popularity and gender differences in ACG exist and corresponding social media use shows direct or indirect impacts on the psychology of adolescents, especially when they suffer from negative events. Freedom is pursued in the use of social media related to ACG and more friends are gathered in the online community. This research sheds light on the psychological development of adolescents and the social media supervision of the ACG groups with adolescents.