Problematic and Harmful Social Media Use among Adolescents Receiving Intensive Psychiatric Care

Although research has shown both positive and negative mental health correlates of social media use, few studies focus on adolescents who are receiving intensive psychiatric care. The purpose of this study was to describe problematic media use, experiences of cybervictimization and sextortion, and correlates with adolescents' health in a sample of adolescents (N = 97; 53.6% female) in a partial psychiatric hospitalization program. Approximately one-quarter of participants reported being cybervictimized at least once over the past month and 17.5% of participants reported ever experiencing sextortion. Greater problematic media use was associated with lower physical activity and greater feelings of loneliness. In a subsample of 51 participants, questions were asked regarding who they had gone to for support regarding experiences of online harm, and barriers to disclosing such experiences. The majority of youth who experienced cybervictimization indicated going to a friend for support but rarely endorsed telling a mental health clinician about it. Even fewer disclosed their experience of sextortion, with nearly half reporting not telling anyone (44.4%). Given the rates of online harm experienced by youth in acute psychiatric treatment, screening for and conducting brief interventions on problematic or risky social media use is recommended.