How, When, and With Whom: A Study on the Moderating Aspects of the Association Between Social Media Use and Loneliness Among School-Aged Children

Abstract The relationship between social media use and loneliness among adolescents is a growing area of research, with mixed findings on whether social media use is associated with increased (displacement hypothesis) or decreased (stimulation hypothesis) loneliness. So far, the relationship between social media use and loneliness by online interaction partner or age has hardly been investigated. Therefore, this study explores the associations between social media communication with different pe