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#StateOfMind: family meal frequency moderates the association between time on social networking sites and well-being among U.K. young adults Social Media Influencer Marketing and Children’s Food Intake: A Randomized Trial
Family affinity impacts well-being and the time spent on social networking sites (SNS). In this study by Jagtiani et al. (2019), the authors evaluated the relationship SNS usage and well-being in 2,229 young adults (age between 16 to 21 years), and whether family belonging (family meal frequency, family support, value of family in terms of personal identity) influenced that relationship. Study participants were categorized either as nonusers (0 hours/weekday spent chatting or interacting with friends through social Web sites), moderate (nonzero to 4 hours/weekday), or heavy users (4+ hours/weekday). The results revealed lower well-being scores for heavy SNS users compared to moderate users, as well as for participants who shared few to no family meals. Furthermore, SNS use and related well-being was substantially impacted by the frequency of family meals. In the sample of participants who reported sharing no meals with their families, well-being scores were lower in heavy users compared to nonusers, while well-being scores showed no differences between different categories of SNS users who reported having frequent meals with their families. The authors comment that, in the population of young adults whom are heavy SNS users, those who do not share meals with their families may be particularly vulnerable to online hazards, and that these findings stress the need to reduce the side effects of heavy SNS use and to support families in enhancing the resilience of young adults in the face of SNS-related anxiety and stressors. [NPID: Family belonging, social media use, social networking, well-being, young adults]
Year: 2019
