A striking consensus emerged: while social media offers vital tools for connection, community-building, and professional growth, its current form is overwhelmingly associated with negative experiences

Dominant themes included severe mental health impacts (anxiety, addiction, exhaustion), significant safety concerns (harassment, trolling, stalking, doxxing), and a profound loss of user agency to opaque, profit-drivenalgorithms. Participants collaboratively designed solutions centred on a fundamental power shift back to the user.