Social media (SM) platforms are frequently used by pre-teen (8–12-year old) consumers for curating their self-identity, developing social relationships and for learning. This paper identifies the building blocks that drive pre-teen SM engagement. We use the Gioia method to analyse interview data collected from 32 pre-teens and parents, in France. Findings show that the primary building blocks are FoMO (Fear of Missing Out) and social inclusive experience, being noticed online, multiplicity, excessive use (without guidelines) and self-regulation. Identity constructs (self-identity and social-identity) are used to explain SM engagement – and to empirically define core conceptual building blocks (aggregate dimensions) that drive SM engagement. We contribute to consumer theory by developing a holistic research framework to examine pre-teen SM engagement. Self-identity and social-identity theories help explain the factors that drive pre-teen SM engagement and explain push/pull influences of parents and schools in encouraging or discouraging certain behaviour. We build on current research into SM usage, drawing from the fragmented existing literature, to reveal causes of both excessive screen-time and SM usage among pre-teen consumers, which may indicate antecedents of future adult behaviour. Practical and regulatory policy issues are considered and addressed.

中文翻译：

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了解青春期前消费者的社交媒体参与度

青春期前（8-12 岁）的消费者经常使用社交媒体 (SM) 平台来策划他们的自我认同、发展社会关系和学习。本文确定了推动青少年 SM 参与的构建块。我们使用 Gioia 方法分析从法国 32 名青春期前儿童和父母那里收集的访谈数据。调查结果表明，主要的组成部分是FoMO（害怕错过）和社会包容性体验、在线关注、多样性、过度使用（没有指南）和自我调节. 身份结构（自我认同和社会认同）用于解释 SM 参与——并根据经验定义驱动 SM 参与的核心概念构建块（聚合维度）。我们通过开发一个整体研究框架来检查青春期前 SM 参与度，从而为消费者理论做出贡献。自我认同和社会认同理论有助于解释推动青春期前 SM 参与的因素，并解释父母和学校在鼓励或阻止某些行为方面的推/拉影响。我们以当前对 SM 使用的研究为基础，借鉴零散的现有文献，揭示青春期前消费者过度使用屏幕时间和 SM 使用的原因，这可能表明未来成人行为的前因。考虑并解决了实际和监管政策问题。