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In industrialized societies characterized by ubiquitous connectivity, many individuals disconnect from their phones or social media to break patterns of habitual use, reduce information overload, alleviate stress, and avoid distractions. Although research has predominantly focused on (young) adults, information on digital disconnection among adolescents remains limited. In response, in the present study, we analyzed survey data from 956 Flemish adolescents in Belgium (Mage = 15.10, SD = 1.61, and 64.8% girls) and, using latent class analysis, identified two subgroups: Class 1 labeled as “low adoption of social media apps and disconnection tools,” and Class 2 labeled as “high adoption of social media apps and disconnection tools.” Adolescents in Class 2 were more likely to use social media, specifically social networking, instant messaging, and entertainment apps, and to adopt disconnection tools (e.g., iOS Screentime or the Forest app). Next, drawing on the media practice model, we investigated how sociodemographic and sociopsychological factors contribute to those usage patterns and found that girls, older adolescents, and adolescents with higher scores for depressive symptoms and flourishing were more likely to belong to Class 2. Those findings offer new insights into adolescents’ social media connection and disconnection that can inform interventions to promote healthier smartphone use among adolescents.

Social media fulfil emerging adults’ self-presentation needs, and young people often selectively present positive self-portrayals on social media (i.e., exciting social life, successful professional life, and being happy). Yet, being exposed to the positive self-portrays of others can sometimes relate to mental health pressures. In exceptional times of social deprivation (e.g., the COVID-19 pandemic), such relations may differ. This cross-sectional study among 415 emerging adults (Mage = 24.27, SD = 3.19; Women = 64.10%) examined the interrelations between exposure to the positive self-portrayals of others on social media and mental health during an intense COVID-19 lockdown period. The study revealed that exposure to such content related to lower levels of mental health. No support emerged for the moderating role of experiencing negative life events, specifically the experience with COVID-19 illnesses in one’s environment, or a three-way interaction with such experience and gender. These results provide evidence to suggest that specific social circumstances may lead exposure to positive self-portrayals on social media to relate to lower mental health. Specifying such circumstances can help the field to move away from the current inconsistent findings concerning social media/mental health relations.

Digital flourishing refers to the positive perceptions of digital communication use in five dimensions: connectedness, positive social comparison, authentic self-presentation, civil participation, and self-control. This three-wave panel study among 1081 Slovenian adolescents (M[subscript age] = 15.34 years, 53.8% boys, 80.7% ethnic majority) explored the trajectories of their digital flourishing dimensions over 1 year (2021-2022). Latent class growth analysis identified two classes. Adolescents in the first class reported high levels of digital flourishing, which remained stable over time, whereas those in the second class reported low levels of digital flourishing with decreased self-control over time. Autonomy-supportive restrictive, autonomy-supportive active, and controlling active parental mediation styles, together with high parental digital skills, predicted adolescents' belongingness to the (more digitally flourishing) first class.