Family Social Capital Among Adolescents that Are Users and Non-users of Social Media

Considering the time spent with family is essential for the growth and development of adolescents, the replacement of these times with using social media can raise questions.

This study addressed the question of whether there is a difference in family social capital between adolescents that are users and non-users of social media.

Data were collected from 3600 adolescents aged 12 - 19 years in Isfahan, Iran, using a cross-sectional study design with stratified, 2-stage cluster sampling. Participants were recruited from schools and surveyed between January and March 2017. Family social capital was assessed using a researcher-made questionnaire with adequate validity and reliability. The independent 2-sample t-test, Kruskal-Wallis test, 1-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and Games-Howell post hoc test were used to analyze the data.

More than 76% of the adolescents were social media users. Males reported higher membership rates compared to females. There was a meaningful difference between the mean scores in all dimensions of family social capital, including family interactions, family cohesion, family monitoring, and family conflicts (P < 0.001), and the non-user group scored better in these dimensions. There were gender-based differences between some dimensions of family social capital (P < 0.05). There were no statistically meaningful differences between the frequencies of users in the 3 socioeconomic classes of the study (P > 0.05). Some dimensions of family social capital, including family cohesion and family monitoring, were better in users from higher socioeconomic classes (P < 0.05).

The results indicate a difference in the family social capital between adolescents that are users and non-users of social media.