248 - Social media coercion and relationship abuse in a national sample of adolescents

Publication Number: 3240.248

Emily R. Egbert, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, United States; Ariel Shensa, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA, United States; Jaime E. Sidani, University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, Pittsburgh, PA, United States; Maya Ragavan, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, United States

Background: Digital adolescent relationship abuse (ARA), defined as using technology to exert control over a dating partner, impacts 28% of dating adolescents. Though 90% of adolescents report using social media (63% daily), limited research has explored how social media coercion relates to ARA and types of social media use.

Objective: The objectives of this study were to: 1) identify the prevalence of social media coercion and ARA in a sample of adolescents; 2) examine the independent associations between social media coercion, ARA, and types of social media use.

Design/Methods: We completed a cross-sectional secondary data analysis of a nationally representative U.S. survey conducted via the Ipsos KnowledgePanel® (Dec. 2024-Jan. 2025). Inclusion criteria for the larger study were: age of 13-17 and speaking English or Spanish; only those who had started dating were included in the secondary analysis. Social media coercion was evaluated via asking if a dating partner ever used social media to control, hurt, harass, stalk, or isolate the respondent. ARA was assessed through an affirmative answer to one or more of the 3 items on the MARSHA-C. Social media use was evaluated via passive vs. active social media use and self-reported use frequency of: YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, X, and Threads.

Bivariable logistic regression was used to assess the association between social media coercion and active and passive social media use, platform use frequency, and ARA. A multivariable logistic regression model, controlling for age, gender identity, and race/ethnicity was then conducted.

Results: The sample consisted of 276 participants. The majority identified as cisgender girls, heterosexual, and white. 66 (23.9%) participants reported experiencing social media coercion, and 59 (21.4%) participants reported ARA. In the multivariable model, ARA was significantly associated with greater odds of experiencing social media coercion (AOR=15.9; CI: 6.51-39.31). Similarly, active social media use was associated with greater odds of experiencing social media coercion (AOR=1.31; 95% CI: 1.04-1.64), as was frequent use of Snapchat (AOR=2.50; CI: 1.32-4.73), Facebook (AOR=2.81; CI:1.44-5.49), and X (AOR=2.84; CI: 1.15-7.04).

Conclusion(s): We found that nearly 1 in 4 adolescents described experiences of social media coercion, with a high correlation between ARA and social media coercion. Active social media use rather than passive use was also associated with social media coercion. Future studies should further examine factors driving social media coercion and develop validated measures to facilitate practice and policy.

Table 1: Sample characteristics and associations with self-reported experience of social media coercion (N=276)
a) Significance derived from Chi-square tests

Table 2: Associations between social media coercion, dating violence, and frequency of social media platform use
a) Adjusted for age, gender identity, and race/ethnicity; b) Data presented represent the odds of frequent use compared to infrequent (reference group.)