Benefits and Harms of Social Media Use: A Latent Profile Analysis of Emerging Adults

Using Latent Profile Analysis, we identified three unique profiles of individuals who use social media with varying levels of intensity across different purposes: Active Users (32.4%), Passive Users (25.3%), and Average Users (42.4%). Each profile was uniquely differentiated on beneficial (e.g., social connectedness) and harmful (e.g., stress) psychosocial outcomes.