Bergen social media engagement and experiences scale (Be-SMEE): A short questionnaire covering important experiences and perceptions of social media use among adolescents. Development and association with symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Background: There is a need to go beyond mere measures of time used on social media. Existing tools inadequately capture the multidimensional nature of social media use, leaving a gap for concise yet comprehensive assessment tools.

Aims: This study aimed to develop a short questionnaire addressing three critical dimensions of perceptions and experiences of social media use: self-presentation, negative experiences, and problematic use. The association between these dimensions and symptoms of anxiety and depression was also investigated.

Methods: This study uses two independent datasets of adolescents aged 16+ years in Norway. Using Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) analyses, a pool of 31 social media items was analyzed to investigate factor structure and associations with symptoms of anxiety and depression. For model development, the "LifeOnSoMe"-study was employed (>3,500 participants), and data from a pilot study (~500 participants) was used for external validation.

Results: Based on ACO-analyses, a 20-item six-factor model was identified, encompassing social comparison and self-presentation (five items), and three items for each of the following domains: negative experiences (Negative acts and Unwanted attention from others) and problematic use (Subjective overuse, Social obligations, and Source of concern). Confirmatory factor analyses demonstrated very good to excellent fit in both datasets, and consistent associations between the six different domains and symptoms of anxiety and depression.

Discussion: The proposed 20-item questionnaire captures six important aspects of adolescent's experiences and perception of social media use, and it may serve as a meaningful tool for assessing the potential association between social media use and mental health and related outcomes.