Exploring teen well-being and social media use during the pandemic summer of 2020
Social media has become a ubiquitous activity for teens in the United States with most going online daily. Legitimate concerns about teen well-being and mental health have often pointed to social media as a negative influence, yet prior research finds that social media use for teens is complex and m...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Taylor & Francis Group
2025-12-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Adolescence and Youth |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/02673843.2024.2447464 |
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| Summary: | Social media has become a ubiquitous activity for teens in the United States with most going online daily. Legitimate concerns about teen well-being and mental health have often pointed to social media as a negative influence, yet prior research finds that social media use for teens is complex and multifaceted. This study first explores the concept of well-being, and its connection to social media use prior and during the Covid-19 pandemic. We then turn to our survey, conducted early in the pandemic, when we asked over 4,000 teenagers about their well-being and social media use. Eighty-six percent of these teens reported moderate to high well-being. We find that teens who used social media to interact with friends and engage in activities sharing their authentic selves were more likely to report higher well-being than those that engaged in more performative activities such as making content, sending links, or gaming. |
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| ISSN: | 0267-3843 2164-4527 |