My research focuses on the interplay between social media use and wellbeing in early adolescence, using data from a major longitudinal household panel survey. In recent years there has been a substantial decline in adolescent externalising behaviours (alcohol, drug use and crime) paralleled by noticeable increases in adolescent internalising problems (depression, anxiety, and emotional problems). Increased social media usage, together with other associated lifestyle changes have been proposed as possible drivers of these generational shifts in adolescent development. This study will map social media use among adolescents and how it changes over time, the temporal interplay between adolescent social media use and wellbeing in early adolescence, and the extent to which the family subsystems and other social and individual characteristics may shape the reciprocal relationship between social media use and wellbeing.
