A six-wave study found no evidence that social-media use worsens family relationships from ages 10 to 20
Monday Papers · Friday, 11 September 2026
Why it matters
Parents do not need to assume that the amount of social media someone uses, by itself, will damage family relationships; blanket limits aimed solely at protecting attachment are not supported by this study. The practical caution is narrower: preserve rules about phone behavior that disrupts time together, because that question was not tested here.
What happened
Researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology analyzed nearly 1,000 participants followed from age 10 to 20, measuring adolescents’ social-media use every two years and assessing parent-child closeness, conflict, attachment, and family functioning. Using adolescent and parent reports, phone-based data, and observational measures, the study found no evidence that ordinary differences in either adolescents’ or parents’ social-media use were associated with worsening family relationships over time. It did not test phone use that actively interrupts shared moments, such as conversations or meals, so it does not show that every form of phone use is harmless.
Players & places
- Norwegian University of Science and Technology
- Trondheim Early Secure Study
- Habib Niyaraq Nobakht
- Lars Wichstrøm
- Silje Steinsbekk