Teens Regularly Messaging ‘Online-Only’ Friends Report Lower Well-Being

Teens Who Text Real-Life Friend Groups Often Report Better Well-Being

Two Swedish teenagers could spend the same three hours a day on their phones, one texting a big group of friends from real life and the other chatting with someone met only online. A new study of 3,034 fifteen-year-olds found that teens in situations like those tended to report different levels of mental well-being.

Published in the journal Child and Adolescent Mental Health, the study found that teens who messaged a wider circle of friends they knew in person several times a day reported better well-being. Teens who messaged friends they had met only through the internet, often called virtual friends, at least weekly reported worse well-being. Both patterns survived adjustments for gender, family wealth, and family structure.

Much research on teens and screens has focused on time spent online. This study looked at the type of friend instead and did not measure hours at all, so the three-hour comparison above is an illustration, not a finding. Parents who debate screen time at the dinner table may find the question of who teens are talking to worth a closer look.

Survey Data From 3,034 Fifteen-Year-Olds Link Friend Type to Teen Mental Well-Being

Researchers at Stockholm University and Gothenburg University drew on a Swedish school survey that also runs in many other countries, combining answers from 2017-2018 and 2021-2022. Classes were randomly selected from participating schools, and participation was anonymous and voluntary. Only fifteen-year-olds were included, and 3,034 answered the well-being questions, split almost evenly between girls (49%) and boys (48%). The rest identified as another gender or left that question blank.

Teens said how often they messaged three groups through texting apps, social media, or video calls: close friends, a wider circle of friends, and friends met only through the internet. Contact counted as low (never or rarely), moderate (weekly or daily), or intense (several times a day or nearly all day).

Well-being came from seven questions about the past two weeks, such as whether teens felt optimistic, useful, relaxed, or close to other people. Higher scores meant better well-being. Researchers then compared scores across contact levels while statistically accounting for gender, family structure, survey year, and family wealth, so those factors would not muddy the comparison.

Intense Messaging With Wider Friend Groups Stayed Linked to Higher Teen Mental Well-Being

More than 7 in 10 teens who answered (71%) messaged close friends intensely. Compared with teens who rarely or never messaged close friends, they scored about 1.6 points higher on the well-being scale. That edge shrank to about 1 point after adjustments, leaving enough uncertainty that chance could not be ruled out. Intense messaging with a wider friend group held firm, with a boost of just under 1 point after adjustments.

Girls (77%) were more likely than boys (65%) to message close friends intensely. Teens from the most affluent households, measured by things like cars, computers, and family trips abroad, were also more likely to do so (82%, versus 62% in the least affluent group).

Moderate and Intense Messaging With Virtual Friends Was Linked to Lower Well-Being

Among all teens surveyed, 29% messaged virtual friends at a moderate level, and 19% did so intensely, though about a quarter skipped that question. Both groups scored lower than teens who rarely or never messaged virtual friends, by about 1 point for moderate contact and 0.6 points for intense contact, and the gaps persisted after adjustments. Boys and girls, and wealthier and less wealthy families, messaged virtual friends at similar rates.

Cause and effect remain unclear. Each teen answered the survey once, so the study cannot say whether virtual friendships lowered well-being or whether teens already feeling low were more likely to seek them out. The authors described the relationship as likely running in both directions.

Sweden’s Screen-Time Guidelines Could Weigh Who Teens Message, Authors Say

Researchers offered several possible explanations, none tested in this study. Messaging friends already known offline, they wrote, “could help facilitate emotional support.” A late-night text to a close friend after a rough day may work a lot like a talk in the school hallway.

Virtual friendships might instead mirror what is happening offline, so teens without strong in-person support may be the ones turning to them. Critics have long called virtual friendships shallow, though newer evidence points to possible benefits for introverted young people or those struggling to connect offline.

Sweden’s public health agency recently issued its first national screen-use recommendations for teens, with a daily limit of two to three hours for ages 13 to 18. Authors said the quality and nature of online interactions deserve a place in future updates. They also called for helping teens build healthy online relationships and the digital know-how to navigate social spaces, in addition to supervising screen time.

A time limit alone cannot tell a chat with a lifelong best friend from a chat with someone met only online. Parents and schools setting digital rules would do well to ask who is on the other end of the screen.

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Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and is not medical or mental health advice. The study reports associations, not proof of cause and effect. Families concerned about a teen’s mental health should consult a qualified health professional.

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