Relationship between social network engagement through smartphone and peer relationship trajectory Patterns: From late childhood to mid adolescence

This study explores crucial aspects of childhood peer relationships. Given scarce prior research, this study explored the dynamic trajectories of peer relationships in childhood over five years, focusing on their association with social network engagement using smartphones. This study employed latent class growth analysis using data from a diverse, national-representative sample of 2,607 individuals aged 10 to 14 years, comprising 49.6 % females. The results identified three distinct trajectories of peer relationships: high-maintaining (17.1 %), low-increasing (8.7 %), and mid-maintaining (74.1 %) groups. A higher likelihood of positive peer relationships was noted when social network engagement using a smartphone was elevated. Gender, self-esteem, parental warmth, parent inconsistency, and income were significant predictive factors. Nuanced connections between childhood peer relationship longitudinal patterns and subsequent engagement with digital social networks were identified. This research contributes valuable insights to developmental psychology and digital communication studies, emphasizing the enduring influence of peer interactions on contemporary modes of social network engagement using smartphones.