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Applying a ‘digital ethics of care’ philosophy to understand adolescents’ sense of responsibility on social media

ABSTRACT Through empirical work we conceptualise a framework of an ethics of care philosophy with digital media, coining the notion, a ‘digital ethics of care’. Increasing focus on the potential of social media to harm the mental wellbeing of adolescents has led to greater emphasis on their conduct online. Entrenched with adolescent conduct in digital spaces are moral theories of development as young people grapple with responsibility toward others from behind screens. Utilising thematic analysis on focus group data from 11–18-year-olds we applied a digital ethics of care understanding. We identified that adolescents found social media to play an important role in facilitating their caring relationships, they took responsibility for their own online behaviour and believed that when others failed in their moral reasoning online it led to negative consequences. Repositioning moral theory for congruence with a new digital society has valuable potential for the protection of adolescent mental health.