Poster #97 - Teens & Technology: Risk and Protective Factors for Adolescent Mental Health

• In Event: Poster Session 02

Abstract

Most people would agree that being on social media is an important part of being an adolescent today. However, many parents are also extremely concerned about technology. They carry fears about potential negative impacts on their children’ lives, development, and futures. The purpose of this study is to examine how specific teen use patterns are related to adolescent mental health and other developmental outcomes. We conducted a study comprised of two national quota samples to explore these aims. The first sample involved 1,231 adolescents (ages 10-17) from across the United States and focused on links between teen social media use and mental health. From the adolescent sample, approximately 55% of the sample identified as female, 39% as male and 6% as transgender, non-binary, or other. In terms of race/ethnicity, 57% identified as White, 15% as Black, 9% as Asian, .3% as American Indian/Alaska Native, 15% as Hispanic/Latin, .1% as Pacific Islander, and 3.3% as mixed or other race/ethnicity The second sample involved 201 adolescents (ages 10-17) and their parents who answered questions about social media, mental health, and parenting practices related to media use. In regards to teen media use, we found that simple measures of the raw amount of time teens spend on social media are not associated with their mental health outcomes. This suggests that the ways teens use technology is more significant than simply knowing how much they use it. Though time of use is not a strong predictor of mental health outcomes, certain habits around social media tend to be related to worse mental health. Making online social comparisons was particularly bad for body image. In fact, adolescents were almost twice as likely to have a poor body image if they regularly made social comparisons online. Being active while using social media – such as making positive comments to others, instant messaging, posting content, or liking content – is also related to a number of developmental outcomes. This study shows that the nature of social media use matters for developmental outcomes and there is no one-size-fits all approach to protecting kids from mental health issues resulting from their media use. Our findings re-affirm the reality of differential susceptibility, which is the premise that youth differ in their vulnerability to various risks that come along – including smartphone and social media use. It is likely that both of these matters are highly dependent on individual characteristics, with some children being more equipped to get a phone earlier and use more social media than others. Simply telling teens to limit their screen time will do little solve the current mental health problem in the United States.

Authors

• Sarah M Coyne, Brigham Young University

• Emily C. Weinstein

• Spencer James, Brigham Young Univeristy

• Megan Gale

• Megan Van Alfen, Brigham Young University
  Presenting Author

• Jason Carroll