Promoting Mental Wellbeing: Young Adults’ Experience on TikTok during the COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown in Nigeria

Abstract

From the last quarter of 2019, the world witnessed the emergence of the COVID -19 virus that shook it to its knees, and Nigeria is not an exception. While countries were struggling with strategies on how to manage the virus, the lockdown option became paramount. During the period of the lockdown in Nigeria, most persons, especially young people, could not visit places of their choice. Hence, social media became their source of solace. This study examines the experiences of young adults in using TikTok to minimise the negative effect of isolation during the COVID-19 lockdown in Nigeria. The authors interviewed ten young persons between the ages of 19 to 31. A thematic analysis of the interviews using Braun and Clark (2006) steps for conducting thematic analysis revealed four overarching themes that describe the participants’ experiences on TikTok during the lockdown. Prominent among the themes, the study uncovered how TikTok short videos  excelled  in  impacting  the  research participants therapeutically;  easing  boredom,  and  impacting positively on their mental health. The present study suggests that TikTok short videos could be a phenomenon  that  could  be  adopted  by  individuals  or  even  health  professionals,  especially psychotherapists  in  managing  or  treating  patients  in  similar  situations  like  the  COVID-19 compulsory lockdown.