Real-world adolescent smartphone use is associated with improvements in mood: An ecological momentary assessment study

Adolescent social media serves a broad range of functions, which may be helpful for some and harmful for others. During the COVID-19 lockdown, social media evolved considerably, occupying an even more central role in adolescents’ lives. This study leverages a new approach to measuring social media use behaviors—passive smartphone sensing. Specifically, we aimed to test if and how adolescents self-regulate their social media use in response to how they feel during and after use. This study followed 19 adolescents for 1 month. Participants completed baseline measures, assessing demographic and clinical characteristics. We used passive smartphone sensing to measure objective social media use behaviors (“screen time” and checking) for a 1-month period. Adolescents also completed daily diary questions on their mood. Analyses took an idiographic (n = 1) approach. Dynamic structural equation models tested daily and next-day relationships between social media use behaviors and mood for each adolescent. Most adolescents (n = 13 of 19) did not self-regulate their social media use in relation to their mood. Most importantly, they did not use it less when they felt more negative mood during use. That said, some adolescents (n = 6) did alter their social media use behaviors depending on their mood. Each adolescent’s pattern of social media use and mood was also qualitatively interpreted within their context of demographic (e.g., experience of holding a minoritized identity) and clinical characteristics (e.g., history of suicidal thoughts and behaviors). These results highlight the next steps for possible intervention points to help adolescents adjust their use patterns to maximize mental health benefits while minimizing possible harm. Findings also begin to develop a template for applying social media use recommendations, while centering the experiences of individual adolescents.

show abstract

Smartphone Ecological Momentary Assessment and Wearable Activity Tracking in Pediatric Depression, Pilot Study (Preprint)

Unzueta Saavedra,

Knowles,

Deaso

et al. 2024

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

UNSTRUCTURED This study aims to: (1) evaluate the feasibility of collecting smartphone-based Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) data alongside activity and sleep tracking in adolescents with depression; (2) investigate the severity and variability of mood symptoms reported over time; and (3) explore the relationship between mood, activity, and sleep. Twenty-eight participants (16 with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), 12 unaffected controls) completed twice-daily EMA check-ins over two weeks, complemented by continuous activity and sleep monitoring using FitBit devices. The study examined feasibility, usability of EMA app, symptom severity and variability, and relationships between mood, activity, and sleep. High compliance rates indicated the feasibility of smartphone-based EMA. MDD participants demonstrated greater symptom severity and variability compared to controls. Additionally, MDD cases exhibited more inconsistent sleep patterns, shorter total sleep times, and a higher frequency of naps. Activity levels, measured by steps per day, did not significantly differ between groups or correlate with mood variability. This study is one of the first to integrate smartphone-based EMA and wearable activity tracking in adolescents with depression. The findings highlight the potential of these technologies to capture real-time data, providing valuable insights into the dynamic nature of depressive symptoms. Future studies should explore EMA and activity tracking methods in larger, more diverse populations to validate these findings. Clinically, the feasibility of EMA and activity tracking suggests these methods could enhance routine assessments and inform personalized interventions by accounting for individual symptom fluctuations and external factors such as environmental stressors and social interactions

show abstract

Real-world adolescent smartphone use is associated with improvements in mood: An ecological momentary assessment study

Cited by 3 publications

References 60 publications

PTSD Symptoms and Problematic Smartphone Use in Young Adults Are Indirectly Associated Via Avoidance-Focused Coping

PTSD Symptoms and Problematic Smartphone Use in Young Adults Are Indirectly Associated Via Avoidance-Focused Coping

Adolescents’ Self-Regulation of Social Media Use During the Beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Idiographic Approach

Smartphone Ecological Momentary Assessment and Wearable Activity Tracking in Pediatric Depression, Pilot Study (Preprint)

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About