Abstract
Introduction: Concerns about the impact of social media on adolescent mental health are increasing. Although social media literacy is considered a protective factor, little is known about how adolescents with high literacy experience and manage these challenges.
Methods: Using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), 12 adolescents aged 15–18 years from Tehran with high social media literacy participated in semi-structured interviews and digital diary activities. Data were analyzed thematically using MAXQDA, and trustworthiness was ensured through Lincoln and Guba’s criteria.
Results: Five interconnected themes emerged: infrastructural awareness, coping arsenal, liberating agency, paradoxical existence, and identity transformation. Participants demonstrated critical understanding of platform mechanisms, employed self-regulation strategies, engaged in active resistance and peer education, experienced tensions between awareness and emotional engagement, and developed a digital identity centered on critical and responsible use.
Conclusion: High social media literacy extends beyond technical competence, fostering agency and resilience while simultaneously generating new psychological tensions that should be addressed in educational and mental health interventions.