Attitudes and Knowledge of Adolescents in Jordan Regarding the Ethics of Social Media Data Use for Research Purposes

Abstract

This study assessed the awareness and attitudes of adolescents in Jordan concerning the ethics of using their social media data for scientific studies. Using an online survey, 393 adolescents were recruited (mean age: 17.2 years ± 1.8). The results showed that 88% of participants were using their real personal information on social media sites, with males more likely to provide their information than females. More than two thirds of participants (72.5%) were aware that researchers may use their data for research purposes, with the majority believing that informed consent must be obtained from both the adolescents and their parents. However, more than three quarters of those surveyed (76%) did not trust the results of research that depended on collecting data from social media. These findings suggest that adolescents in Jordan understood most of the ethical aspects related to the utilization of their data from social media websites for research studies.

Can social media data be freely used? Participants’ ethical perceptions toward using their social media data in research

“…In the field of social media data research, new research methods and approaches to data collection have been developed. However, knowledge of the ethical guidelines for research using social media data is lacking, and there is currently neither consensus nor best practice in this field (Al Zou’bi et al, 2020; Vitak et al, 2016; Warrell and Jacobsen, 2014). There are no clear specifications for microblog platforms, and the lack of policies and researchers’ weak ethical awareness make it difficult to form consistent specifications for microblog research, placing both researchers and users in an awkward situation.…”

“…Some users think that some dialogs, comments, questions, and answers are only between private individuals (Bruckman, 2002). Very few Internet users read the privacy policy of the website, and they rarely have a complete understanding of it (Al Zou’bi et al, 2020; Fiesler and Proferes, 2018; Zimmer, 2015). In this survey, only 19.4% were ‘somewhat familiar’ or ‘very familiar’ with the interface and function of the API, and only 19.7% were ‘somewhat familiar’ or ‘very familiar’ with restrictions on microblog use.…”

Awareness of pharmacy researchers about the national research code of ethics: A study from Jordan

“…In agreement with that, there is an increased interest in the ethical philosophies of conducting proper research worldwide [ 1 ]. As well, there are success stories in Jordan about international projects concerning responsible conduct of research with huge funds and a great turnout from researchers’ especially pharmacological researchers and those from the faculty of pharmacy [ 16 , 17 , 18 ].…”

Sharing, reuse, and storage of biosamples among biomedical researchers in Jordan: Practice and concerns

“…There is a growing concern in responsible conduct of research, in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, including establishing institutional regulations, training, and schools’ curriculum development [ 16 – 18 ]. In Jordan, there are no guidelines that regulate the reuse, sharing, and storage of biosamples in biomedical research.…”