Advisor(s)

Kathryn Foti

Committee Member(s)

Anne Brisendine
Bertha Hidalgo

Document Type

Thesis

Date of Award

6-1-2026

Degree Name

Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH)

School

School of Public Health

Department

Epidemiology

Abstract

Youth violence remains a major public health concern in the United States (U.S.), with firearm injuries now the leading cause of death among children and adolescents. At the same time, social media use has become nearly universal among youth, raising concerns about how online interactions may influence violence-related behaviors. Social media platforms can facilitate peer conflict, electronic bullying, and public exposure to aggressive behaviors, which may extend into offline environments such as schools and communities. However, the relationship between social media use frequency and youth violence remains understudied. This study examined the relationship between frequency of social media use and violence-related behaviors among U.S. high school students using data from the 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS). Students were asked about the frequency of checking social media, and responses were categorized as low frequency or non-use, moderate frequency, or high frequency. Violence-related outcomes included carrying a weapon on school property, carrying a gun, involvement in a physical fight on school property, and involvement in a physical fight anywhere. Survey-weighted logistic regression models accounting for the complex sampling design were used to estimate associations between social media use frequency and violence-related outcomes, adjusting for demographic, behavioral, and psychosocial covariates. In fully adjusted models, social media use frequency was not significantly associated with any violence-related outcome. However, a statistically significant interaction between social media use frequency and electronic bullying victimization was observed for weapon carrying on school property. Among students who reported electronic bullying, moderate and high-frequency social media use were associated with higher odds of carrying a weapon on school property compared with low or no social media use. In contrast, among students who did not report electronic bullying, moderate and high-frequency social media use were associated with lower odds of carrying a weapon on school property. These findings indicate that social media use frequency alone may not be independently associated with youth violence among U.S. high school students. However, the combination of social media use frequency and electronic bullying exposure may contribute to certain violence-related behaviors, specifically carrying a weapon on school property, highlighting the importance of addressing electronic bullying in adolescent violence prevention efforts.

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