Digital moods in adolescence: Momentary and contextual fluctuations in affective responses to social media

Adolescents' social media use (SMU) has become a central aspect of their daily lives; however, its relevance to their well-being remains a matter of considerable debate. This study examined adolescents’ momentary SMU and concurrent affective states across everyday contexts, alongside how self-determination in SMU and problematic SMU relate to distinct combinations of SMU and affective states. Using multilevel latent profile analysis (MLPA), we analyzed 2,489 momentary reports from 384 adolescents (aged 13–17; 63% female), collected through the experience sampling method (ESM). At the within-person level, six distinct momentary SMU profiles emerged: detached messaging, distressed messaging, detached scrolling, distressed scrolling, relaxed scrolling, and enthusiastic scrolling. Importantly, these profiles were context sensitive. Distressed messaging was more likely to occur in class and school, whereas relaxed, detached, and enthusiastic scrolling was more common during free time. At the between-person level, adolescents were grouped into six profiles based on their momentary experiences: two active-private profiles (detached and distressed messagers) and four passive profiles (detached, distressed, relaxed, and enthusiastic scrollers). Higher self-determination in SMU was associated with the detached messager profile, while higher problematic SMU was linked to the distressed messager profile. These findings highlight the nuanced nature of adolescents’ SMU, which varies within individuals, between individuals, and across contexts, underscoring the need for frameworks prioritizing how and when adolescents engage with social media, rather than relying on static categories of beneficial or harmful.