Published Paper Details:

Social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram have become integral to youth communication, self-expression, and identity formation in the contemporary digital landscape. While these platforms offer avenues for creativity, networking, and information dissemination, they also foster validation-seeking behaviours driven by likes, shares, comments, and followers. This study, focusing on Facebook and Instagram usage patterns, explores the relationship between social media literacy and validation-seeking behaviour among youth. Social media literacy is increasingly recognised as a critical subdomain within the broader media literacy framework, encompassing the specific skills and competencies required to critically navigate, evaluate, and engage with content across social networking platforms. How young individuals perceive and interact with online content, peer feedback, and algorithmic visibility is crucial. Using a mixed-methods approach combining quantitative survey data and qualitative insights, the study investigates how varying levels of media literacy influence validation-seeking tendencies and emotional dependencies on social approval via social platforms. The research aims to provide empirical evidence to support interventions that foster healthier digital practices among youth.