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Adolescents' Intense and Problematic Social Media Use and Their Well-Being in 29 Countries
Maartje Boer1, Regina J J M van den Eijnden1, Meyran Boniel-Nissim2
1Department of Interdisciplinary Social Science, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Summary
Problematic social media use (SMU) is linked to lower adolescent well-being globally. Intense SMU
Area of Science:
- Adolescent Psychology
- Digital Well-being
- Cross-Cultural Studies
Background:
- Social media use (SMU) is prevalent among adolescents worldwide.
- Understanding the impact of SMU on adolescent well-being is crucial.
- Country-level variations in SMU prevalence and its effects require investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the independent associations between intense/problematic SMU and adolescent well-being.
- To determine if these associations vary by country-level SMU prevalence.
- To explore the relationship between country-level SMU prevalence and mobile Internet access.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from 154,981 adolescents across 29 countries (Health Behaviour in School-aged Children survey).
- Measured intense SMU by time spent on social media; problematic SMU by addiction symptoms.
- Assessed mental, school, and social well-being, alongside country-level Internet access data.
Main Results:
- In low-prevalence countries, intense SMU correlated with lower life satisfaction and family support.
- In high-prevalence countries, intense SMU was linked to higher life satisfaction and family support.
- Problematic SMU consistently predicted lower well-being across all countries; mobile Internet access did not explain prevalence differences.
Conclusions:
- Adolescents with problematic SMU face significant risks to their overall well-being.
- Intense SMU can be a normative behavior, potentially benefiting certain aspects of adolescent well-being in some contexts.
- Country-level factors influence the relationship between intense SMU and adolescent well-being outcomes.
Keywords:
AdolescentsCross-national researchHBSCProblematic social media useSocial media useWell-beingMore Related Videos
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