Qualities of Peer Relations on Social Networking Websites: Predictions from Negative Mother-Teen Interactions

Social networking websites have increased exponentially in popularity since the creation of Facebook and MySpace in 2003–2004. According to recent national estimates from data collected in 2006–2008, approximately 93% of U.S. youth are online and 65% of these individuals report using social networking websites (Jones & Fox, 2009). Additionally, these data suggest that 42% of youth report communicating daily with friends via social networking websites, versus 26% via instant messaging and 16% via email. Conversely, 29% of online youth report communicating daily with friends via face-to-face interactions (Jones & Fox, 2009). These trends suggest that social networking websites are an increasingly important domain for adolescents’ and young adults’ peer relationships. Although online communication has become a normative means of maintaining friendships for many youth, an emerging body of research has suggested that online communication may hold specific attractions for youth with certain psychological difficulties. Researchers have suggested that online social communication may be used by such youth as a supplemental, or even alternative, means to a normative desired end of establishing positive relationships with peers (Buhrmester, 1998; 1990) that may be more difficult for them to attain through face-to-face interactions (Valkenburg & Peter, 2007; Peter, Valkenburg, & Schouten, 2005). However, to date, studies examining this hypothesis have focused primarily on youths’ psychopathology (most often depressive symptoms and social anxiety) as predictors of their online socializing behavior with peers. Generally, this research has found that, in comparison to well-adjusted youth, youth with symptoms of depression and social anxiety tend to: (a) prefer communicating with others online rather than in person (Caplan 2007; 2003); (b) seek emotional support from others online when feeling isolated or depressed (Morahan-Martin & Schumacher, 2003; Peter et al., 2005), and; (c) form new relationships with people met online (Ybarra, Alexander, & Mitchell, 2005; Gross, Juvoven, & Gable, 2002). Considerably less work has examined ways in which family relationships may also influence youths’ online behavior. Although some initial evidence has suggested that family relationships may be important predictors of youths’ online social interaction (Ledbetter, 2009; Livingstone & Helsper, 2007), specific family processes that may account for youths’ online social behavior and the quality of online social interactions with peers remain unknown. The present study thus seeks to determine whether youth who experience negative interactions with their mothers as teenagers may, as young adults, (a) prefer communicating with others online rather than face-to-face, (b) engage in more negative peer interactions on social networking websites, and (c) have a greater likelihood of forming a new friendship with someone met online. These questions examine the potential long-term effects of negative mother-adolescent interactions for youths’ future adjustment with peers in the online domain.