Work

Social media reduction and friendship outcomes in youth: the roles of resilience and usage motives

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Evolved affiliation motives drive people to seek belonging and monitor social inclusion. Social media (SM) can support these motives by facilitating contact but may also undermine offline friendships. We tested whether friendship quality/quantity changed after a two-week SM reduction and whether SM-use motives and psychological resilience moderated changes. Children (10+), adolescents, and young adults were recruited in schools and universities. At T1, an experimental-group ( n = 480) and a control-group ( n = 293) completed online or paper-and-pencil surveys; the experimental-group was asked to abstain from SM for 2 weeks, while controls continued using. At T2, 287 experimental- and 196 control-participants completed the survey. Participants who used SM reported motives in an open-ended item at T2. We examined behavior-based reductions (i.e., actual voluntary reduction), allowing us to speak to real-world change but does not support causal inference from assignment. Variance analyses showed significant time and reduction-group interactions for both outcomes: moderate reductions (reduced use ≥ 30 min/day) were associated with small improvements in friendship quantity and quality, whereas stricter limits (use < 30 min/day) yielded no benefit. At baseline, resilience was positively linked to friendship quantity and quality but did not predict or moderate T1–T2 change. Among continued users, T2 friendship quality (controlling T1) was positively associated with communication motives and negatively with selective restriction, while quantity showed no motive links. Overall, resilience appears to be a general resource for friendship quality and may buffer motive–relationship links. Understanding youths’ SM motives may promote healthier use and guide ethical platforms and education design, especially for vulnerable youth.

Source: Frontiers in Psychology

DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1962459

Authors: Karina Schowalter, Patrik Reiter, Lisa Klümper, Maria Agthe

Institutions: UMIT TIROL - Private University for Health Sciences and Health Technology, University of Wuppertal

Language: English

Topic: Impact of Technology on Adolescents

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,801