Social Media Activities With Different Content Characteristics and Adolescent Mental Health: Cross-Sectional Survey...

Adolescent mental health concerns are rising in the United States, with social media often cited as a contributing factor, although research findings remain mixed. A key limitation is the simplistic view of social media use, which fails to consistently predict well-being. Scholars call for a more nuanced framework and a better understanding of how social media use influences adolescent mental health through various psychosocial mechanisms.

Using the Multidimensional Model of Social Media Use, we explored how 4 activities with various content characteristics (intimate directed communication, intimate broadcasting, positive broadcasting, and positive content consumption) are associated with depression and anxiety through 3 psychosocial mediators: social support, approval anxiety, and social comparison.

Cross-sectional survey data were collected through Qualtrics' panel service from a sample of adolescents whose gender and racial or ethnic distributions were nationally representative (N=2105; mean age 15.39, SD 1.82 years). Participants passed attention checks to ensure data validity. Measures included 9 validated scales (Cronbach α=0.83-0.91): 4 social media activities (intimate directed communication, intimate broadcasting, positive broadcasting, and positive content consumption), 3 mediators (social support, approval anxiety, and social comparison), and 2 mental health outcomes (depression and anxiety). Using Mplus, we performed 2-step structural equation modeling. Confirmatory factor analysis established scale validity, and path analysis tested the hypothesized and exploratory associations between social media activities, mediators, and mental health, controlling for demographic covariates and the amount of phone use. Model fit criteria (comparative fit index and Tucker-Lewis index were close to or greater than 0.95; root mean square error of approximation was less than 0.08) were met. Significance was determined using a false discovery rate control, with the familywise type 1 error rate set at 0.05.

Our findings showed that positive broadcasting was associated with lower depression (β=-.14; P<.001) and anxiety (β=-.06; P=.03), mainly through the direct paths. The other 3 activities were related to more mental health problems. Specifically, intimate directed communication was associated with greater depression (β=.06; P=.03) and anxiety (β=.06; P=.04); intimate broadcasting was associated with greater anxiety (β=.07; P=.02); and positive content consumption was related to higher depression (β=.13; P<.001). Approval anxiety or social comparison played a salient role in these total effects.

The findings highlight the importance of distinguishing social media activities when assessing risks and benefits. Intimate directed communication, intimate broadcasting, and positive content consumption became risk factors for increased anxiety and depression through approval anxiety, social comparison, or both. Positive broadcasting was related to better mental health because of its direct associations with lower depression and anxiety.