Date of Award:

8-2021

Document Type:

Thesis

Degree Name:

Master of Science (MS)

Department:

Applied Sciences, Technology, and Education

Committee Chair(s)

Kelsey Hall

Committee

Kelsey Hall

Committee

Tasha Howard

Committee

Lucy Delgadillo

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine social media use of adolescents in the U.S. and their psychological well-being to expand the research of this quickly changing topic. The researcher collected online responses from 409 adolescents between the ages of 13-17 years old concerning their social media use and psychological well-being.

Variables in the research included time spent on social media, number of platforms used, active use, parental mediation, and emotional connection. The two variables that had a statistically significant relationship with psychological well-being included parental mediation and emotional connection to social media.

Recommendations for continued research could include examination of the parent-adolescent relationship, parenting styles, and a dyadic survey to study both parents’ and adolescents’ perceptions of screen time use and psychological well-being. This research contributes recommendations for practice to Extension professionals and mental health professionals to assist parents and caregivers to navigate norms and provide a framework for more parental mediation concerning their adolescent’s social media use.

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