ArticleFrontiers in public health2023
Heavy social media use and psychological distress among adolescents: the moderating role of sex, age, and parental support.
Article in Frontiers in public health, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Parasocial Engagement With Social Media Influencers and Mental Health Outcomes: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.JMIR mental health · 2026Pooled it
- Associations between active and passive social media use and anxious affect among adolescents around the world.Journal of mood and anxiety disorders · 2026Article
- Physical Activity Before, During, and After the School Day and Its Impact on Positive Psychological Variables: A Systematic Review and Practical Guide.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- The impact of social media addiction on sexual desire: an observational study.BMC psychology · 2026Observational
- The shadow of parental phubbing on adolescents' psychological adjustment: roles of problematic social media use and social support.BMC psychology · 2026Article
- The Impact of Smartphone Use on Brain Function in Adolescence: A Scoping Review.Pediatric reports · 2026Review
- The mediating effect of cyber victimization and cyberbullying on the relationship between social media addiction and emotional and psychological well-being in adolescents.BMC psychology · 2026Article
- The association between social media use and dietary intake among adolescents in Türkiye: a cross sectional study.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2026Article
- Association between increased screen time during the COVID-19 pandemic and changes in alcohol use behaviours among Canadian adolescents: a prospective cohort study.Health promotion and chronic disease prevention in Canada : research, policy and practice · 2025Article
- Associations between media parenting practices and early adolescent screen use.Pediatric research · 2025Article
- Social Media Entertainment Among Children in Tema, Ghana: Impact of Restrictions and Associated Factors.International journal of pediatrics · 2025Article
- Association between screen time, homework and reading duration, sleep duration, social jetlag and mental health among Chinese children and adolescents.BMC psychiatry · 2024Article
- Scrolling through adolescence: unveiling the relationship of the use of social networks and its addictive behavior with psychosocial health.Child and adolescent psychiatry and mental health · 2024Article
- Long-term impact of digital media on brain development in children.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Social media use and anxiety levels among school adolescents: a cross-sectional study in Kathmandu, Nepal.BMJ public health · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Despite increasing evidence that social media use is associated with adolescents' mental well-being, little is known about the role of various factors in modifying the effect of this association during adolescence. This study examined the association between social media use and psychological distress among adolescents and explored whether sex, age, and parental support moderate this association. Methods: Data came from a representative sample of middle and high school students in Ontario, Canada. Cross-sectional analyses included 6,822 students derived from the 2019 Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey. Results: Our results showed that 48% of adolescents used social media for 3 h or more per day, and 43.7% had moderate to severe psychological distress, with a higher prevalence among females (54%) than males (31%). After adjustment for relevant covariates, heavy social media use (≥3 h/day) was associated with increased odds of severe psychological distress [odds ratio (OR): 2.01; 95% confidence interval (CI):1.59-2.55]. The association of social media use with psychological distress was modified by age ( Conclusion: Heavy social media use is associated with higher levels of psychological distress, with younger adolescents being the most vulnerable. Longitudinal studies are recommended for future research to examine in more depth the role of sex, age, and parental support in the association between social media use and psychological distress to better determine the strength and of the association.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.