Social Media Using Frequency and the Quality of Social Relationships Among Adolescents: the Moderating Effect of Shyness

This study investigated the association between adolescents' social media use frequency and their relationship quality with parents and peers, and included shyness as a moderator. Data about 235 adolescents from China were collected. Results from multiple regression showed that adolescents' social media using frequency was positively correlated with parent-child closeness, but did not have a significant association with peer relationship. For adolescents with lower levels of shyness, the positive association between social media using frequency and parent-child closeness was stronger than for adolescents with higher levels of shyness. Based on these findings, possible explanations and suggestions for educational practices were provided.