The relationship between social network site use and depression among Children: A moderated mediation model

Previous research has conducted extensive work on the impact of social network site (SNS) use on depression. However, most of these studies have focused on adolescents or adults, and little is known about how SNS use affects depression among children. Based on the vulnerability model of depression, the self-system beliefs model, and the risk-buffering hypothesis, we examined whether self-esteem would mediate the relationship between SNS use and children’s depression and whether self-compassion would play a moderating role in the mediating process. The sample consisted of 386 Chinese children from grades three to six (Mage = 9.83 years, SD = 1.23; 42.5 % girls), who provided self-reported data on demographic variables, SNS use, self-esteem, depression, and self-compassion. Results indicated that after controlling for the children’s gender and age, the partial mediating role of self-esteem between SNS use and depression was significant at low levels of self-compassion, marginally significant at high levels, and non-significant at mean levels. Moreover, both the first and second stages of the indirect effects were moderated by self-compassion. Specifically, the effects of SNS use on self-esteem were negative, non-significant, and marginally positive for children with low, middle, and high self-compassion, respectively. The interaction pattern of self-esteem and self-compassion on depression fit the protective–attenuating hypothesis: the protective effect of self-compassion was stronger for children with low self-esteem. This study extends our understanding of the underlying mechanisms linking SNS use to depression among children, which has both theoretical and practical implications for interventions for children’s depressive symptoms. The limitations and theoretical and practical implications of this study are discussed.