Social media use and risky behaviors in adolescents: A meta-analysis
Vannucci A, Simpson EG, Gagnon S, Ohannessian CM
Journal of adolescence · 164 citations
Review labels
Neutral facts our review recorded about how this study was done. They describe method, never whether we like the result.
How it was studied
- Design
- Meta-analysis (indexed by PubMed)
- Studied in
- People
- Main outcome
- No health outcome
Who paid for it
- Funding
- Funding not disclosed
Publication
- Published
- 2020-02-01 · J Adolesc · vol. 79 · issue 1 · pp. 258–274
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Cited
- 420 citations · more than 100% of similar papers · 64.9× the field average
- Impact
- Top 10% most cited in its field
- References
- 96 works
- Access
- Paywalled
- Research areas
- Impact of Technology on Adolescents · Bullying, Victimization, and Aggression · Mental Health via Writing
- Keywords
- social media use, adolescent risk behavior, substance use, sexual risk behavior, Facebook, MySpace
- MeSH
- humans, substance-related disorders, cross-sectional studies, adolescent behavior, risk-taking, sexual behavior, causality, adolescent, female, male, social media, online social networking
4 authors
From US
- Anna Vannucci · correspondingConnecticut Children's Medical Center
- Emily G. SimpsonUniversity of Connecticut; Connecticut Children's Medical Center
- Sonja GagnonConnecticut Children's Medical Center
- Christine McCauley OhannessianUniversity of Connecticut; Connecticut Children's Medical Center; UConn Health
Abstract
Introduction
This systematic review and meta-analysis examined the associations between social media use and risky behaviors during adolescence, and evaluated study characteristics (e.g., sample age, type of social media platform assessed) that may moderate these relationships.
Methods
A comprehensive search strategy identified relevant studies from PsycInfo, PubMed, Google Scholar, and Proquest Dissertations and Theses Global.
Results
The final sample included 27 independent cross-sectional studies with a total of 67,407 adolescents (Mage = 15.5, range: 12.6-18.0 years; 51.7% girls; 57.2% White). Results from random effects models indicated that there were positive, small-to-medium correlations between social media use and engagement in risky behaviors generally (r = 0.21, 95% CI = 0.16-0.25), substance use (r = 0.19, 95% CI = 0.12-0.26), and risky sexual behaviors (r = 0.21, 95% CI = 0.15-0.28). There were an insufficient number of independent samples available to conduct a random effect models for violence-related behaviors (k = 3). Moderator analyses suggested that studies assessing solely early social media platforms (e.g., Facebook/MySpace only) in relation to substance use had smaller effect sizes than substance use studies assessing a broader range of contemporary social media platforms. In addition, younger samples had larger effect sizes for studies focused on social media use and risky sexual behaviors.
Conclusions
The positive links identified between social media and risky behaviors during adolescence in this meta-analysis suggest that developmental theories of risk taking would benefit from incorporating the social media context. Longitudinal studies are needed to clarify directionality and make more specific practice and policy recommendations so that social media is a safe place in which adolescents can thrive.
Abstract via Europe PMC. Copyright remains with the authors or publisher.
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