Peer Connectedness and Social Technology Use During COVID-19 Lockdown

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Adolescent Health
• Digital Communication

Background:

• Adolescents' social connection needs intensified during COVID-19 lockdowns.
• Previous research indicated potential negative impacts of social technology quantity on adolescent mental health.
• The quality of social technology interactions may significantly influence mental well-being.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the associations between daily social technology use, peer closeness, and emotional health in adolescent girls during COVID-19 lockdown.
• To differentiate the effects of texting, video-chatting, and social media use on adolescent emotional well-being.
• To examine both within-person and between-person effects of social technology use.

Main Methods:

• A 10-day daily diary study was conducted with 93 adolescent girls (ages 12-17) during COVID-19 lockdown.
• Participants completed online diaries assessing positive affect, anxiety, depression symptoms, peer closeness, and time spent on texting, video-chatting, and social media.
• Multilevel fixed effects models with Bayesian estimation were employed to analyze the data.

Main Results:

• Increased daily texting and video-chatting were associated with greater peer closeness, more positive affect, and fewer anxiety and depression symptoms at the within-person level.
• Higher overall video-chatting time correlated with greater peer closeness, leading to better average positive affect during lockdown and reduced depression seven months later.
• Social media use did not show significant associations with emotional health at either the within-person or between-person level.

Conclusions:

• Messaging and video-chatting technologies are vital for maintaining peer connections during periods of social isolation.
• These communication methods positively impact adolescent emotional health by fostering peer closeness.
• The quality of interaction, specifically through direct communication like texting and video-chatting, is crucial for adolescent well-being, unlike passive social media consumption.