Adolescents' Social Media Use and Internalizing Symptoms: Mechanisms of Risk and Resilience

Project Summary/Abstract Rates of internalizing symptoms (depression, anxiety) among youth have increased significantly over the past decade. During this same time period, the use of social media (e.g., TikTok, Snapchat) has become nearly ubiquitous, with 97% of adolescents using at least one platform. Despite growing public concern that social

media has contributed to the youth mental health crisis, little is known about how and for whom social media use contributes risk for internalizing problems among adolescents. This study aims to identify specific mechanisms of risk in the context of social media engagement, including youths’ uses of, beliefs about, and

emotional responses to social media. We will recruit a diverse sample of 200 youth (ages 13-16) with a full range of internalizing symptoms for a four-wave, longitudinal study with assessments at baseline, 6-, 12-, and 18-month follow-up. Participants will engage in an innovative, online experimental eye-tracking task that

simulates peer interactions in a social media environment. At each time point, a real-time, collaborative social media data collection procedure will be used and dimensional measures of internalizing symptoms collected. We will also convene a youth advisory board to provide ongoing feedback and insight. The primary aims of this

study are to: (1) Identify social media experiences that increase adolescents’ risk for subsequent internalizing symptoms, using an experimental, eye-tracking paradigm; (2) Test a longitudinal mediation model whereby adolescents’ beliefs about social media predict high-risk social media engagement and subsequent

internalizing symptoms; and (3) Examine moderation effects by gender and age in the associations among beliefs about social media, social media use, and internalizing symptoms (exploratory aim). This research will offer new insights into the mechanisms of social media’s influence on adolescent internalizing symptoms. It will

identify novel, potentially-modifiable targets for future clinical, education, and public health interventions, and will have immediate relevance for supporting youth in using social media in healthier ways.