Online social networking & wellbeing in adolescents

Abstract

The Internet and online behavior has become such a prevalent aspect of modern society. Questions being asked are (a) does use and size of the social network Facebook in adolescents have a relationship to social anxiety, loneliness and self- esteem. (b) Does the amount of time on the Internet have an impact on wellbeing in adolescents? Participants: adolescent students (n=204), 117 Female & 87 Male. Methods: Two schools took part in the study. A teacher in each distributed the questionnaire to their classes. This data was then collected and analyzed. Results: 73% use social networking sites frequently. A weak but significant correlation was found for higher Facebook intensity and lower levels of loneliness. Time spent online was found to be positively related to social anxiety and inversely related to self-esteem. A gender difference was identified; effect sizes were greater for females.