Decreases in psychological well-being among American adolescents after 2012 and links to screen time during the rise of smartphone technology.

This study examined differential patterns of time spent using social media in a sample of 457 adolescents over a 6-year period. The majority of adolescents (83%), termed moderate users, reported steady social media use over time. A second group (increasers: 12%) reported low social media use that increased gradually and ended high at the end of the study. A third group, called peak users (6%), reported low social media that increased quickly after a few years and then returned to baseline levels. Low self-regulation predicted being an increaser or peak user. Being a moderate user tended to be related to lower levels of depression, aggression, delinquency, social media problems, and cyberbullying across time, as compared with the other groups.

Background Age‐specific preventive interventions by exploiting age‐appropriate means are needed to effectively support adolescents with type 1 diabetes in facing illness and developmental‐related difficulties. The provision of social support through a content analysis of messages posted on online conversations was examined. Methods Participants and moderators' messages posted to an Italian online chat group for adolescents with type 1 diabetes were content analyzed using a social support behavior coding system. Results Of 250 adolescents approached (aged 12‐18), 161 (64.4%) agreed to participate. Seventeen thousand twenty‐five individual posts (10 735 written by participants, 6290 by moderators) from 37 chat sessions were examined. Topics concerned management of the disease, diabetes‐related problems, nutrition, and the emotional impact of diabetes. Social support was found in 30.64% of the messages (N = 5215). The frequency of supporting messages posted by participants was significantly higher than those written by moderators (X 2 = 20.025, P < .0001). Participants most frequently offered emotional (79.97%) and information support (16.21%), while moderators presented information (52.89%) and emotional support (34.56%). Conclusions How posting messages in an online group provides an opportunity for adolescents with type 1 diabetes to support each other and help health professionals to learn about the experiences of young individuals is discussed.

There is a large evidence base supporting the efficacy of mindfulness interventions in adulthood, and growing support for the efficacy of these interventions in adolescence. Historically mindfulness interventions have been delivered in person and in groups, with recommendations for home practice being a critical part of the intervention. However, compliance with these practice recommendations in adolescence is very poor. Past studies indicate that using mobile technology to promote skill transfer to real life can be an effective strategy, particularly when used as a supplement to an in-person intervention strategy. To date, however, mobile technology has largely been used to create stand-alone mindfulness interventions. The goals of the current paper are to discuss the potential opportunities and challenges with a mobile-technology-enhanced mindfulness intervention, and to present the rationale that such an approach is not only theoretical and empirically sound but also a critical next step to increase the efficacy and developmental appropriateness of mindfulness interventions for adolescents. This discussion is grounded in a specific example of a mindfulness intervention supplemented by momentary interventions we are developing.