Children’s use of social networking sites and their mental health and wellbeing: A longitudinal study

Immersed within a digital age, children aged 7-to-12 years old are engaging online. Despite the age restrictions of social networking sites (SNS) averaging 13 years, these are easy to bypass and children are using them (Ofcom, 2025; Woodhouse & Lalic, 2024). Online behaviours have been widely linked to positive and negative outcomes for adolescence. This study aims to investigate children’s behaviours on SNS and whether these predict self-esteem, wellbeing, and mental health outcomes over time. A sample of 258 7-to-12-year-olds completed a longitudinal online survey over two time points (six months apart) measuring time spent online, online self-disclosure, self-presentation, bonding and bridging social capital, self-esteem, wellbeing, and mental health (anxiety and depression). Findings demonstrate that being male predicted higher self-esteem over a six month period. Further, bonding social capital and using a range of self-presentation techniques predicted poorer mental health over a six month period. No SNS behaviours predicted wellbeing over a six-month period, although older children reported better wellbeing. Results are discussed in terms of the association between children’s SNS behaviours and their social-emotional development.