Diverse social media experiences and adolescents’ depressive symptoms: the moderating role of neurobiological responsivity to rejected peers

Abstract Adolescents’ experiences with social media are complex and can impact their mental well-being differently. Our study aimed to understand how neurobiological sensitivities may moderate the association between different social media experiences and depressive symptoms. In a multiwave study, 80 adolescents (Mage = 13.06, SD = 0.58) took part in an functional magnetic resonance imaging task designed to gauge the neural responses when viewing accepted and rejected peers within their own social networks (Wave 1). We also collected self-reported measures of positive (digital social connection) and negative (digital pressure) experiences on social media and depressive symptoms (Waves 2 and 3). Our findings revealed that there were no significant associations between digital social connection, digital pressure, and depressive symptoms 1 year later. However, the association between digital social connection and depressive symptoms was moderated by neural responsivity. Specifically, for adolescents with reduced sensitivity to their rejected peers in the ventral striatum, right temporoparietal junction, and ventromedial prefrontal cortex, digital social connection was associated with reduced depressive symptoms 1 year later. These results emphasize the importance of individual differences in how adolescents’ brains respond to rejected peers in shaping the impact of online experiences on their mental well-being.