Maartje Boer

CHAPTER 9 302 2021). As a result of these findings, it has been proposed to “abandon the active-passive dichotomy” in research on social media effects (Valkenburg, Van Driel, et al., 2021). A passive/active dichotomy may not be appropriate, because some SMU activities have passive as well as active characteristics. For example, liking messages, photos, or videos on social media implies a form of communication and could therefore be considered as active SMU. However, liking could also be regarded as passive SMU because it requires only one click and does not contribute to a dialogue. Also, reading received direct messages from peers via instant messengers could be considered as passive SMU, as it concerns viewing, but it also has an active component because it involves social interaction with others. Therefore, it is complex to classify SMU activities as either passive or active, and consequently, to study their differential impact on wellbeing. Furthermore, effects of active and passive SMU are plausibly difficult to disentangle, given that active and passive SMU activities are highly intertwined: For example, responding to a photo or video on social media, which is considered as active SMU, requires viewing it first, which is considered as passive SMU. As such, disentangling the effects of time spent on active and passive SMU activities may not be feasible. Instead, research focusing on the content adolescents are exposed to (e.g., uplifting versus agitating) and how they experience this content may contribute more in understanding the relation between SMU and adolescent wellbeing (Griffioen et al., 2021; Valkenburg, Van Driel, et al., 2021). Practical Implications Althoughmore research replicatingour findings inother samples is necessary, focusingon theabsolute levels, thecourse, andnegativeconsequences of SMU problems among adolescents, the aforementioned theoretical implications may provide some directions for practice. The finding that not the intensity of SMU, but SMU problems were related to lower wellbeing (Key finding 2; Chapters 4-6, 8), informs parents and teachers who are concerned about adolescents’ engagement with SMU. More specifically, our findings suggest that, nowadays, high intensity of SMUmay be best understood as a normative behavior that serves important functions contributing to adolescents’ development (Chapter 4). After all, social media allow adolescents to connect with their peers, share their narratives, and express their social identity, which