Both no use and highest use associated with poorer well-being<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter<\/b>
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WEDNESDAY, Jan. 21, 2026 (HealthDay News) — There is a complex and nonlinear association between afterschool social media use and adolescent well-being, with variance seen by age and sex, according to a study published online Jan. 12 in JAMA Pediatrics<\/em>.<\/p>\n Ben Singh, Ph.D., from the University of South Australia in Adelaide, and colleagues investigated three-year longitudinal associations between afterschool social media use and adolescent well-being. The analysis included 100,991 students in grades 4 through 12 (2019 to 2022).<\/p>\n The researchers found a U-shaped association between afterschool social media use and well-being. Adolescents with the highest use had greater odds of low well-being (grades 7 to 9: odds ratios, 3.13 and 2.25 for girls and boys, respectively) compared with moderate users. Nonusers also had higher odds of low well-being in later adolescence (grades 10 to 12: odds ratios, 1.79 and 3.00 for girls and boys, respectively). These patterns persisted across survey years and remained robust to sensitivity analyses.<\/p>\n “The overall pattern is consistent with the Goldilocks hypothesis, which suggests that moderate digital media is least risky, with very low or very high engagement less favorable,” the authors write. <\/p>\n Abstract\/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)<\/a><\/p>\n