Online communication with different types of friends and mental well‐being of adolescents in Sweden: A pooled cross‐sectional study

BACKGROUND: Young people's extensive internet and social media use has raised concerns about potential impacts on their mental well-being. Although many studies have examined general time spent online, fewer have focused on the specific nature of adolescents' online interactions. METHODS: Using a sample of 15-year-olds (N = 3034) participants from the 2017/2018 and 2021/2022 Swedish Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) surveys, we employed pooled cross-sectional linear regression models to examine associations between the frequency of online communication with different types of friends and mental well-being, assessed by the Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (SWEMWBS). RESULTS: Online communication was associated with adolescents' mental well-being, but patterns varied by both frequency of communication and the type of friendship. Intense online communication with close friends (b = 1.63, 95% CI: 0.57-2.70) and larger friend groups (b = 1.03, 95% CI: 0.44-1.62) was positively associated with mental well-being. Conversely, communication with virtual friends was associated with poorer well-being (moderate: b = -1.02, 95% CI: -1.50, -0.43; intense: b = -0.61, 95% CI: -1.14, -0.08). These associations remained robust even after model adjustment. CONCLUSION: The findings show that associations between online communication and adolescents' mental well-being differ depending on the type of friend with whom they communicate. These contrasting patterns highlight the need to distinguish between different forms of internet and social media use, and efforts to support young people's online activity should consider not only time spent online but also the nature of their online interactions.