About this paper symposium

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Panel information
Panel 24. Technology, Media & Child Development

Paper #1
Online experiences and wellbeing of Asian American and Latine adolescents
Author information	Role
J. Maya Hernandez, University of California, Santa Cruz, United States of America	Presenting author
Linda Charmaraman, Wellesley Centers for Women, United States of America	Non-presenting author
Abstract
In an increasingly diverse society, Asian and Latine populations are the fastest growing racial-ethnic groups across the US (Budiman & Ruiz, 2021). The cultural, social, and psychological dynamics online during a critical period of development (i.e., identity development, social connection, and mental health) has been understudied among Asian American (AsAm) and Latine adolescents. Developing AsAm and Latine digital natives are often faced with the challenges of contending with cultural expectations and facing discrimination online (Charmaraman et al., 2018; Umaña-Taylor et al., 2015). This current study focuses on recent characteristics of AsAm and Latine adolescents’ mental health and experiences online, including depression and social anxiety symptoms, problematic use, and cyberbullying. Additionally, the study explores the potential protective nature of online spaces for AsAm and Latine youth, including using online spaces for coping with stress, seeking emotional support, and community building (Charmaraman et al., 2022; Ito et al., 2020). We examine the relation between online experiences and mental health based on the context of the adolescent’s racial-ethnic identity. The study sample focuses on 100 AsAm and 237 Latine students (6th-12th grade; 53.3% female) from diverse backgrounds in the northeastern US. Students who were asked to complete a survey (Nov 2023 - Feb 2024) as a part of a larger longitudinal study on adolescent online experiences and mental health. Over half of AsAm and Latine adolescents (58.0%) reported their racial-ethnic identity as central to how they identify and 53.7% report having no time limit spent online or on the phone. On average, Latine adolescents used online spaces for coping with stress more frequently than AsAm adolescents (F(1,194) = 4.61; p = 0.03). AsAm and Latine adolescents with higher levels of depressive symptoms are significantly associated with increased rates of seeking out community online. Decreased negative experiences online (i.e., problematic phone use and cyberbullying) is associated with increased use of online spaces to cope with stress. For AsAm adolescents, greater time spent on social media for emotional support is associated with increases in social anxiety (r = 0.39, p = 0.005). For Latine adolescents, greater time spent seeking community online is associated with elevated levels of cyberbullying (r = 0.30, p = 0.004) and social anxiety (r = 0.37, p < 0.001). The findings highlight the dual role of digital spaces connected to adolescent racial-ethnic identity and posing risks and opportunities to mental health among AsAm and Latine youth. Overall, online environments provide opportunities for affirmation and support, however, they also expose adolescents to racialized bullying and identity threats, which have significant implications for mental health. The results underscore the importance of online support systems that encourage positive social connections while addressing the harmful effects of problematic online behaviors. As digital platforms continue to play a central role in young AsAm and Latine adolescents lives, it is essential continuous exploration of the unique challenges and opportunities these platforms present for promoting well-being and positive identity development in increasingly diverse on and offline environments.

Paper #2
The Longitudinal Associations between Online Racism, Racial Identity Beliefs, and Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms
Author information	Role
Henry Willis, University of Maryland, United States	Presenting author
Abstract
Experiences of online racism, such as online racial discrimination (ORD), have been linked to a myriad of negative mental health outcomes for Black youth (i.e., Tynes et al., 2012). Black youth are also at a higher risk for being exposed to traumatic race-related events online (e.g., shootings of unarmed Black people; TEO, Tynes et al., 2019). Despite cross-sectional data indicating that these experiences negatively impact the mental health of youth of color, it is important to consider the longitudinal influence of ORD and TEO on youths’ mental health outcomes. Identifying how online racism is related to youths’ psychological outcomes over time is especially important given that youth of color have to navigate various forms of racism daily which may confer unique risks to this group longitudinally (Del Toro et al., 2023; English et al., 2020). Researchers have also noted that racial identity (RI) beliefs may protect against the impact of racism-related stress (Sellers et al., 1998), but few have explored if RI beliefs protect against ORD and TEO over time. In light of these limitations, the current study explored if experiences of ORD and TEO would be related to PTSS one year later for Black and Latine youth. The study also explored if RI beliefs at Time 1 would moderate the relationship between online racism experiences at Time 1 and PTSS one year later (Time 2). The sample utilized comes from two waves of data from a longitudinal online survey, and includes Black and Latinx youth (N = 314) between the ages of 11 and 19 (M = 14.9; SD = 2.5). The sample included 49.4% females and 50.6% males. Participants completed measures of ORD (Tynes et al., 2010), TEO (Tynes et al., 2019), RI (specifically, racial centrality, private regard, and public regard; Martin et al., 2013), and PTSS (Roulon-Arroyo et al., 2019). After accounting for covariates (i.e., age, gender, racial-ethnic background, socioeconomic status, time spent online, and PTSS at Time 1), individual ORD at Time 1 predicted higher levels of PTSS at Time 2 (b = .12, p < .01), over and above vicarious ORD and TEO experiences at Time 1 (b = .004, p = .87 ; and b = .02, p = .48 , respectively). In terms of the moderating effect of RI beliefs, there was only a significant interaction between vicarious ORD and RI centrality beliefs at Time 1 predicting PTSS at Time 1 (b = .04, p < .05). Specifically, the relationship between vicarious ORD at Time 1 and PTSS at Time was nonsignificant for those with low levels of racial centrality (b = -1.13, p = .96). In contrast, there was a significant positive relationship between vicarious ORD at Time 1 and PTSS at Time 2 for those with average (b = .05, p < .05) and high (b = .09, p < .001) levels of racial centrality. The results suggest that individual and vicarious ORD may be a strong predictor of later PTSS for Black and Latine youth, and that higher levels of RO centrality beliefs may exacerbate these symptoms over time.

Paper #3
Prevalence rates of typical, at-risk and clinical problematic media use in Peruvian adolescents
Author information	Role
Lucia Magis-Weinberg, University of Washington, United States of America	Presenting author
Daniela Muñoz López, University of Washington, United States of America	Non-presenting author
Maggie Sarkasova, University of Washington, United States of America	Non-presenting author
Abstract
Problematic media use (PMU) is defined as the excessive use of digital media that affects functioning (Domoff et al., 2019). PMU has typically been measured on the continuous scale (with higher scores indicating more dysfunction), using several self-report questionnaires, including the Problematic Media Use Measure-Short Form (PMUM-SF; Domoff et al., 2019). Recently, clinical cut-offs have been determined for PMUM, establishing three categories of use -- typical, at-risk and clinical, that correspond with levels of anxiety, depression, ADHD and drop in school grades (Woodman et al., under review). These clinical cut-offs permit the conversion from absolute scores of PMUM to prevalence rates, facilitating screening and interpretation in applied settings. In this study, we investigated (1) how prevalence rates of PMU categories in Perú compare to populations in the US and (2) whether there were any changes to these during the pandemic. We re-analyzed an existing dataset which contained continuous data on PMU through a clinical threshold lens. Our aim was to investigate rates of typical, at risk and clinical PMU in a sample of low-and-middle income adolescents in Perú. The sample consisted 5480 adolescents (52% female) in school grades 6 to 11 (ages 11 – 17). Adolescents self-reported on a Spanish translation of the Problematic Media Use Measure (Domoff et al., 2019 at three time points during the pandemic (Time 1= April 2020, Time 2 = June 2021 and Time 3 = November 2021). Total sum scores were calculated and participants were categorized into clinical, at-risk, and typical (Woodman et al., under review). Group differences were determined using Chi-squared tests. The percentage of students with typical use decreased in the pandemic from 71.5% at Time 1, to 65.9% at Time 2 and 64.1% at Time 3. In contrast the percentage of students with PMU in the clinical range increased from 5.2% at Time 1, to 7.7% at Time 2 and 9.3% at Time 3. There were 23.2% adolescents in the at risk category at Time 1, which increased to 26.3% at Time 2 and remained stable at 26.5% at Time 3 (Table 1). While rates of PMU in the clinical range are in line with reports in US samples during the pandemic of ~5% (Woodman et al., under review), rates of typical use are much lower than reports in US samples of ~80%, with more adolescents meeting criteria for at risk use than in US samples ~ 15% (Woodman et al., under review). Future studies should investigate the source of variability in these rates when comparing a middle-income country like Perú, with digital media use in a high-income country like the USA. As the field of digital media starts to determine thresholds of clinical importance for several measurement instruments to increase interpretability and foster use in daily practice, it is crucial that these thresholds are also tested in populations in the Majority world. These approaches will contribute to nuanced understanding of what levels and types of digital media use are associated with functional impairment.

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