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This post was co-authored by David Szwedo, Ph.D., and Nisa Khaldun, MA, a graduate student in the James Madison University Clinical and School Psychology Doctoral Program.

Social media use among youth is a primary means of achieving social connection. To develop a sense of identity and connecting with peers is a crucial part of adolescent development, helping individuals explore their personal values ​​and sense of self. In fact, many young people want to spend time with their friends both offline and online and seek a sense of validation or acceptance from their social circle.

However, a recent study aimed to examine the consequences of social media use that may extend beyond the social realm. A study conducted by our colleagues at James Madison University and the University of Virginia examined how receiving certain types of social media posts from peers at age 21 predicted participants’ physical health at age 28. Researchers found that social media posts by peers showing social ties or connections predicted lower levels of IL-6 (a marker of inflammation in the blood), better sleep quality and lower BMI 7 years later. The study found that the key predictor of these positive health outcomes was having more active interaction with multiple friends who actually signaled Friendshipsuch as indicating plans to meet, or referring to a shared experience or a joke. Simply having a larger friend network did not predict the same health benefits.

In contrast, friends’ social media posts with content that deviated from peer social norms predicted poorer sleep quality, poorer physical functioning, and higher levels of IL-6 7 years later. These deviant posts contained content likely to be embarrassing if viewed by a parent, teacher or employer, such as using profanity or referring to drugs, crime or six. Despite opportunities for some superficial connection through such social ties, receiving these types of posts was also associated with participants having less online social networkindicating that these youths were not widely accepted. It is possible that sharing such content online could lead to interpersonal difficulties and alienation or be linked to a higher likelihood of engaging in deviant behavior offline that could potentially lead to negative physical health outcomes.

These findings suggest that receiving social media posts from individuals who do not conform to peer norms can have far-reaching consequences beyond individuals’ social lives. Importantly, the study controlled for several other factors to rule out other possible explanations for the results, including participants sex and income, social competence, internalizing and externalizing symptoms, alcohol use, observed physical attractivenessand history or previous hospitalizations. The inclusion of these controlled factors strengthens the possibility that the observed use of social media, and not these other factors, predicts the health outcomes studied.

Given the prevalence of social media use among youth as a source of communication, parents and family members can benefit from encouraging positive social ties with online peers, encouraging healthy communication, and becoming aware of deviant postings. Peer relationships can have the potential to help or hurt development in young adulthood, and with awareness of this, parents and others can help encourage individuals to make informed decisions about who they interact with and how.