Abstract
Adolescence (ages 10-19 years) is a critical developmental period marked by rapid brain remodelling, particularly in emotional regulation and executive functioning. These changes shape mental health, cognition, and social-emotional behaviours. Forming healthy relationships is central to adolescent well-being, yet social media has transformed how young people (YP) build and maintain relationships. Despite its central role in adolescent life, the long-term impact of social media on relationship quality remains unclear, with prior research often relying on small or non-representative samples. This study examines longitudinal associations between adolescent social media use and later relationship outcomes using data from 5,604 participants in the UK Millennium Cohort Study, all of whom reported being in a relationship at age 23. Social media use was measured at age 14 as average weekday hours (>3 hours per weekday indicating high use). Outcomes at age 23 included self-rated relationship happiness and experience of emotional abuse in the past 12 months. Self-esteem at age 14, assessed via the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (Cronbach’s α = 0.90), was tested as a potential mediator. Multinomial logistic regression models adjusted for sex, ethnicity, and income quintile.
After adjustment, YP reporting high social media use at age 14 were 75% more likely to report being very unhappy in their relationship at age 23 (OR 1.75, 95% CI 1.15-2.66), remaining significant after accounting for self-esteem (OR 1.70, 95% CI 1.12-2.58). High use was also linked to a 25% higher likelihood of emotional abuse (OR 1.25, 95% CI 1.03-1.51), though this attenuated after adjusting for self-esteem (OR 1.19, 95% CI 0.98-1.44), suggesting mediation. Heavy social media use in early adolescence may have lasting implications for relationship quality in early adulthood, partly via self-esteem, with relevance for policy and guidelines on safer use.
Key messages
• High social media use in early adolescence may have lasting implications for relationship quality in early adulthood, partly through its impact on self-esteem.
• Amid growing global policy attention, including youth social media restrictions, stronger regulation is needed to inform safer adolescent social media use.