• Ailin Anto, Rafey Asif, Arunima Basu, Dylan Kanapathipillai, Haadi Salam, Rania Selim, and Jahed Zaman.
• Imperial College London.
• Br J Gen Pract. 2023 Jul 1; 73 (suppl 1).

BackgroundSeveral researchers and policymakers have acknowledged the alarming association between social media usage and anxiety symptoms in young adults. While primary care holds a crucial role in the improvement of health outcomes for those presenting with anxiety, there has been no research on GPs' perceptions of the impact of social media on anxiety. Furthermore, there has been little discussion of social media as a risk factor in anxiety-related consultations. This study is the first to use empirical research to inform how primary care can adapt to address social media's impact on anxiety within young adults.AimTo identify GPs' perceptions of the impact of social media on anxiety; and to identify the facilitators and barriers within primary care to addressing social media's impact on anxiety among young adults.MethodFollowing an exploratory pilot interview, semi-structured interviews with GPs (n = 7) were transcribed and thematically analysed following an inductive approach.ResultsSix facilitators were identified: a framework to facilitate discussion, open GP attitudes, GP training, alternative support, larger stakeholder influence, and young adult education of social media's impact on anxiety. Three barriers were identified: a lack of GP awareness of social media's impact on anxiety, cautious GP attitudes, and increased pressure on the health service.ConclusionThis qualitative study revealed a diversity of perceptions, and these novel findings are instructive in the adaptation of primary care services to meet the current mental health needs of young adults, as well as better assisting GPs in engaging in these conversations, especially within university practices.© British Journal of General Practice 2023.

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