Gender differences in problematic social media use among adolescents

The rise in adolescent social media use has prompted concerns about potential negative effects, reaching problematic levels and addiction. Excessive use adversely affects physical and mental health, contributing to reduced sleep quality, physical inactivity, poor nutrition, and lower academic performance (Brailovskaia et al., 2021; Graham et al., 2021; Malak et al., 2022). Given the rapid digital environment expansion, understanding gender-specific vulnerabilities is crucial for targeted prevention programs and psychological support.

The study aimed to identify gender differences in problematic social media use among adolescents. 

Method. An online survey of 633 adolescents aged 15 to 17 (mean age 15.5±0.7) in the Moscow region used the Problematic Facebook Use Scale (PFUS), Social Media Disorder Scale (SMDS), and questions on social media use times. Cluster analysis identified 282 adolescents with high PFUS scores (47.5% boys, 52.5% girls). Analysis used Mann–Whitney and Chi-square tests.

Results. A range of significant gender differences in problematic social media use was revealed: PFUS showed that girls were more likely to use social media to regulate emotional state while feeling sadness and loneliness (15.1±3.7 vs. 13.0±4.0 among boys, p≤0.001); girls were more likely to report experiencing obsessive thoughts about checking social media (11.7±4.3 vs. 10.5±3.2 among boys, p≤0.05). Among boys signs of addiction, such as negative outcomes due to excessive social media use, were reported more often (8.5±4.0 vs. 7.1±3.6 among girls, p≤0.01) with the most frequent negative consequence “neglect of offline activities due to social media use”.

SMDS showed higher frequency of using social media to avoid negative emotions among girls (71.1% vs. 39.6% among boys, p≤0.001). Additionally, girls were more likely to have family conflicts related to their excessive social media use (29.8% vs. 13.5% among boys, p≤0.01). Among boys there were significantly more successful attempts to reduce their time of social media use (38.0% vs. 16.2% among girls, p≤0.001).

Comparison of social media use time showed that girls were more likely to use social media for 6 or more hours on weekdays (29.1% vs. 11.9% among boys, p≤0.001), as well as on weekends (45.3% vs. 22.4% among boys, p≤0.001).

Conclusions. Problematic use was more pronounced among girls, who actively used social media to cope with negative emotions and spent more time online. Among boys problematic social media use predominantly manifested in negative consequences, usually giving preference to social media use over offline activities. Boys reported greater success in reducing social media time.

Understanding these gender-specific differences is crucial for parents, psychologists, and educators when addressing adolescent social media issues. Support should involve active listening and tailored approaches, emphasizing healthy habits and alternative activities.