Profiles of Adolescent Social Media Use Intensity and Subjective Well-Being: The Sequential Mediating Roles of Upward Social Comparison and Body Appreciation

The relationship between social media use and adolescent well-being remains complex, and the psychological processes involved in this association require further investigation. Using data from 2085 Chinese adolescents aged 10–19 years, this study identified three social media use intensity profiles through latent profile analysis and examined whether upward social comparison and body appreciation formed a sequential mediating pathway linking social media use intensity and subjective well-being. Three profiles were identified: low social media use intensity (25.2%), moderate social media use intensity (59.0%), and high social media use intensity (15.8%) profiles. In the overall sample, the sequential indirect effect from social media use intensity through upward social comparison and body appreciation to subjective well-being was significant. Furthermore, subgroup-specific analyses showed that the total effect, direct effect, and total indirect effect were not significant in any of the three profiles. A specific sequential indirect pathway through upward social comparison and body appreciation was significant only in the high social media use intensity profile. Moreover, the negative association between upward social comparison and body appreciation was significantly stronger in the high social media use intensity profile than in both the low and moderate social media use intensity profiles.