Is social media use good or bad for adolescents’ internalizing problems and well-being? The interaction with friendship quality

• In Event: Social media and adolescent relationships: The good, the bad, and the complicated

Abstract

Although research into the effects of social media use on adolescents’ internalizing problems and well-being is increasing, findings are inconsistent (yielding either negative, positive, or no effects). Moreover, a scarcity of longitudinal research and haphazard array of variables and measurements for social media use and well-being limit the interpretation and integration of existing findings. In the present study, we aim to expand the literature by 1) studying the effects of social media use on adolescents’ internalizing problems and well-being both concurrently and longitudinally; 2) distinguishing between internalizing problems and well-being as they are often used interchangeably while they are not the same; 3) exploring both positive and negative effects of social media use as most research focused on the harmful effects; 4) investigating the interaction between social media use and friendship quality as social media is inherently social and intertwined with the way adolescents establish and maintain their friendships; and 5) explore gender differences.
Data were collected as part of a larger, longitudinal study on socio-ecological predictors of adolescent well-being. Participants were adolescents from three secondary schools, located in the areas of two large cities in the Netherlands (Amsterdam and Rotterdam). The schools, parents, and adolescents themselves provided informed consent for participation. At T1, 1,108 adolescents (mean age 13.7 years) participated and at T2, 12 months later, 1,055 adolescents (mean age 14.6 years) participated. They completed an online questionnaire in the classroom during regular school hours. Among other themes, they reported on their frequency of social media use, friendship quality (Network of Relationships Inventory), internalizing problems (depression and anxiety; Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale–25), and well-being (Mental Health Continuum–Short Form). Data were analyzed using structural equation modelling in R. Gender, age, ethno-cultural background, and educational level were included as covariates.
Regarding adolescents’ internalizing problems, preliminary results revealed a significant positive association with social media use compared to a significant negative association with friendship quality concurrently (Table 1). The interaction effect (social media use × friendship quality) was not significant. Longitudinally, neither the main effects of social media use and friendship quality nor the interaction effect were significantly related to adolescents’ internalizing problems, after controlling for initial levels of internalizing problems. Regarding adolescents’ well-being, we found a significant positive association with friendship quality, both concurrently and longitudinally, even after controlling for initial levels of well-being, but not with social media use. Furthermore, we found significant interaction effects of gender × social media use on both adolescents’ internalizing problems and well-being and of gender × friendship quality on adolescents’ internalizing problems, concurrently but not longitudinally (Table 2).
In sum, adolescents with more frequent social media use reported more internalizing problems concurrently and those with higher-quality friendships reported lower internalizing problems concurrently and higher well-being both concurrently and longitudinally. We also found significant concurrent gender differences. Thus, our findings emphasize the value of distinguishing between internalizing problems and well-being and indicate different roles of offline and online social relationships in the mental health and well-being of boys and girls.

Authors

• Chantie Luijten, Erasmus University Rotterdam
  Presenting Author

• Daphne van de Bongardt, Erasmus University Rotterdam
  Non-Presenting Author

• Joran Jongerling, Erasmus University Rotterdam
  Non-Presenting Author

• Anna Petra Nieboer, Erasmus University Rotterdam
  Non-Presenting Author