Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Social Media Study
Study details from the Studies index, with sources and citations for each field.
Notes · Probability (ABCD cohort); ages 11-15; scoped to the n=6,779 who reported ≥1 social media account — the base for the per-platform ownership + SMAQ problematic-use measures; full analytic sample n=10,092; propensity-weighted to the American Community Survey (ACS)
References
Nagata et al. (2025)— Journal article
Nagata, J. M., Memon, Z., Talebloo, J., Li, K., Low, P., Shao, I. Y., Ganson, K. T., Testa, A., He, J., Brindis, C. D., & Baker, F. C. (2025). Prevalence and Patterns of Social Media Use in Early Adolescents. Academic Pediatrics, 25(4), 102784.
report- Publication page:
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acap.2025.102784
- Retrieved on:
- 2026-05-25
- Pages:
- 7
- Archived source:
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Study details & methodology
| Name | “Prevalence and Patterns of Social Media Use in Early Adolescents” |
| Country | “national sample of early adolescents in the US” |
| Publication year | “ACADEMIC PEDIATRICS 2025; 25:102784” Published 2025 (Vol 25, No 4, May–June 2025). Underlying data: ABCD Study Year 3 follow-up, 2019–2021. |
| Fieldwork dates | “the Year 3 follow-up (2019–2021)” |
| Sample size | “Participants who reported at least one social media account (n = 6779)” The index shows the 6,779 participants with at least one account, who received the app-ownership and problematic-use questions. The full analytic sample contains 10,092 participants. Underage-use comparisons are restricted to those younger than 13. |
| Age range | “10,092 11-to-15-year-old adolescents” |
| Sampling | “the ABCD Study employed probability sampling of US schools within the 21 areas” Multi-center school-based cohort (21 geographically diverse US sites). Propensity weights applied based on the American Community Survey from the US Census (p. 4). Authors note it is 'epidemiologically informed but may not be fully representative' due to voluntary participation. |
Harms measured
| Problematic Use | “The Social Media Addiction Questionnaire (SMAQ), adapted from the Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale…” “I use social media apps so much that it has had a bad effect on my schoolwork or job”“I've tried to use my social media apps less but I can't”Response options: Never / Very Rarely / Rarely / Sometimes / Often / Very Often Six-item SMAQ, self-reported by participants with at least one social media account. |
| Underage Use | “Do you have at least one social media account?” Account ownership is combined with age to identify the under-13 subgroup. Table 1 gives app-specific account ownership for that subgroup; permitted supervised accounts are not distinguished. |
Platforms measured
| Platform list | “Which social media sites do you have an account on?” Table 1 lists Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, Tumblr, Reddit and TikTok. Multiplayer Videogame Online Chatting and Other are aggregate categories, excluded from the app count. |
Per-app measurement by harm
| Underage Use | “Which social media sites do you have an account on?” Table 1 reports account ownership by age group, including under-13 account holders. Nine named apps are listed; the video-game-chat and Other categories are excluded. This is account ownership, not frequency of use. |