Social Media Use and Self-Perception Survey (Anonymous)

Dear participant,

This survey is about how middle and high school students in China use social media platforms (such as WeChat Moments, Douyin, Xiaohongshu, etc.) and how these experiences affect mood and self-perception. Your answers are completely anonymous and will only be used for academic research. You can skip any question if you feel uncomfortable. Thank you for your help! It should take about 10–12 minutes.

Section 1: Basic Information (3 questions)

1. Your gender:

MaleFemalePrefer not to say

2. Your age: _____ years

Under 1212-1415-1617-18Above 18

3. Your current grade level:

Grade 7Grade 8Grade 9Grade 10Grade 11Grade 12

Section 2: Social Media Use and Interactions (10 questions)

Use a 5-point scale: 1 = Never, 2 = Rarely, 3 = Sometimes, 4 = Often, 5 = Very Often

4. Which social media platforms do you use most often? (Select all that apply)

WeChat MomentsDouyin (TikTok)Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book)QQ ZoneBilibili Dynamics

5. On average, how much time do you spend on social media each day?

Less than 30 minutes30–60 minutes1–2 hours2–4 hoursMore than 4 hours

6. How often do you post content (photos, videos, status updates, etc.) on social media?

(1 = Never … 5 = Multiple times a day)

12345

7. What is your main purpose for posting on social media? (Select all that apply)

To record daily lifeTo gain recognition/approval from friendsTo show off achievementsTo interact with friendsOther:

8. How often do you post to show your good qualities / positive sides (e.g., achievements, looks, interesting life)?

(1 = Never … 5 = Multiple times a day)

12345

9. After posting, how often do you check the number of likes and comments?

(1 = Never … 5 = Almost constantly refresh)

12345

10. How often do you feel unhappy or disappointed if your post receives few likes/comments?

(1 = Never … 5 = Multiple times a day)

12345

11. How often do you feel more confident or happy when your post receives many likes/warm comments?

(1 = Never … 5 = Multiple times a day)

12345

12. When you see others posting very impressive content (good looks, high achievements, travel, etc.), how often do you compare yourself to them?

(1 = Never … 5 = Multiple times a day)

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13. How important are likes and comments to you personally?

(1 = Not important at all … 5 = Extremely important)

12345

Section 3: Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES – 10 items)

Please indicate how much you agree with each statement.

Use: 1 = Strongly Disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Neutral, 4 = Agree, 5 = Strongly Agree

(Items with * are reverse-scored during analysis.)

14. On the whole, I am satisfied with myself.