Cent Eur J Public Health 2025, 33(4):279-284 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a8698
Changes in social media use patterns among Czech adolescents: HBSC study 2018–2022
- 1 Sts Cyril and Methodius Faculty of Theology, Olomouc University Social Health Institute, Palacký University Olomouc, Olomouc, Czech Republic
- 2 Max Stern Academic College of Emek Yezreel, Israel
- 3 Interdisciplinary Social Science, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
Objectives: Previous studies have identified four distinct patterns of adolescent social media use (SMU): non-active users abstain from social media or engage in online interactions only once a week or less; active users connect with others online daily without any functional impairments related to their SMU; intense users frequently engage with others online but do not meet criteria for problematic use; problematic users report six or more addiction-like symptoms. The following study aimed to assess the prevalence of these SMU patterns among Czech adolescent, examine changes between 2018 (pre-COVID-19) and 2022, and explore age and gender differences to identify at-risk subgroups.
Methods: Data were drawn from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study among 11-, 13- and 15-year-olds. The study analysed Czech data from the 2017/18 and 2021/22 waves (n = 26,450).
Results: Findings revealed marked changes in SMU patterns between 2018 and 2022 among Czech adolescents, which varied by gender and age category. Girls and older adolescents reported higher rates of problematic SMU. The share of non-active users declined, most notably among 11-year-olds.
Conclusions: The marked increase in both intense and problematic SMU among Czech adolescents highlights a growing public health concern. Given the established associations between problematic SMU and poorer mental health outcomes, these findings call for the integration of digital behaviour monitoring and education into school-based mental health and prevention programmes. Particular attention should be given to early adolescence and to gender-specific vulnerabilities.
Klíčová slova: social media use, adolescents, Czechia, problematic social media use
Vloženo: 24. červen 2025; Revidováno: 18. prosinec 2025; Přijato: 18. prosinec 2025; Zveřejněno: 31. prosinec 2025 Zobrazit citaci
Reference
- Montag C, Demetrovics Z, Elhai JD, Grant D, Koning I, Rumpf HJ, et al. Problematic social media use in childhood and adolescence. Addict Behav. 2024 Jun;153:107980. doi: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2024.107980.
Přejít k původnímu zdroji...
Přejít na PubMed... - Venuleo C, Rollo S, Ferrante L, Marino C, Schimmenti A. Being online in the time of COVID-19: narratives from a sample of young adults and the relationship with well-being. Mediterr J Clin Psychol. 2022;10:(1). doi: 10.13129/2282-1619/mjcp-3236.
Přejít k původnímu zdroji... - Boniel-Nissim M, van den Eijnden RJJM, Furstova J, Marino C, Lahti H, Inchley J, et al. International perspectives on social media use among adolescents: implications for mental and social well-being and substance use. Comput Hum Behav. 2022;129:107144. doi: 10.1016/j.chb.2021.107144.
Přejít k původnímu zdroji... - Boniel-Nissim M, Tynjälä J, Gobiņa I, Furstova J, van den Eijnden RJJM, Marino C, et al. Adolescent use of social media and associations with sleep patterns across 18 European and North American countries. Sleep Health. 2023 Jun;9(3):314-21.
Přejít k původnímu zdroji...
Přejít na PubMed... - Boniel-Nissim M, Bersia M, Canale N, Lahti H, Ojala K, Ercan O, et al. Different categories of social media use and their association with body image among adolescents in 42 countries. Int J Public Health. 2024 Jul 3;69:1606944. doi: 10.3389/ijph.2024.1606944.
Přejít k původnímu zdroji...
Přejít na PubMed... - Boer M, Stevens GWJM, Finkenauer C, van den Eijnden RJJM. The complex association between social media use intensity and adolescent wellbeing: a longitudinal investigation of five factors that may affect the association. Comput Hum Behav. 2022;128:107084. doi: 10.1016/j.chb.2021.107084.
Přejít k původnímu zdroji... - van den Eijnden RJJM, Lemmens JS, Valkenburg PM. The Social media disorder scale. Comput Hum Behav. 2016;61:478-87.
Přejít k původnímu zdroji... - Orben A, Przybylski AK, Blakemore SJ, Kievit RA. Windows of developmental sensitivity to social media. Nat Commun. 2022 Mar 28;13(1):1649. doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-29296-3.
Přejít k původnímu zdroji...
Přejít na PubMed... - Twenge JM, Martin GN. Gender differences in associations between digital media use and psychological well-being: evidence from three large datasets. J Adolesc. 2020 Feb;79:91-102.
Přejít k původnímu zdroji...
Přejít na PubMed... - Boer M, Stevens GWJM, Finkenauer C, de Looze ME, van den Eijnden RJJM. Social media use intensity, social media use problems, and mental health among adolescents: investigating directionality and mediating processes. Comput Hum Behav. 2021;116:106645. doi: 10.1016/j.chb.2020.106645.
Přejít k původnímu zdroji... - Paakkari L, Tynjälä J, Lahti H, Ojala K, Lyyra N. Problematic social media use and health among adolescents. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Feb 15;18(4):1885. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18041885.
Přejít k původnímu zdroji...
Přejít na PubMed... - Boniel-Nissim M, Marino C, Galeotti T, Blinka L, Ozoliņa K, Craig W, et al. A focus on adolescent social media use and gaming in Europe, central Asia and Canada. Health Behaviour in School-aged Children international report from the 2021/2022 survey. Volume 6. Copenhagen: WHO Regional Office for Europe; 2024.
- Kardefelt-Winther D. A conceptual and methodological critique of internet addiction research: towards a model of compensatory internet use. Comput Hum Behav. 2014;31:351-4.
Přejít k původnímu zdroji... - Inchley J, Currie D, Samdal O, Jåstad A, Cosma A, Nic Gabhainn S, editors. Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) Study Protocol: background, methodology and mandatory items for the 2021/22 survey. Glasgow: University of Glasgow; 2023.
- Mascheroni G, Ólafsson K. Net children go mobile: risks and opportunities. 2nd ed. Milano: Educatt; 2014.
- Currie C, Alemán Díaz AY, Bosáková L, de Looze M. The international Family Affluence Scale (FAS): charting 25 years of indicator development, evidence produced, and policy impact on adolescent health inequalities. SSM Popul Health. 2023 Dec 30;25:101599. doi: 10.1016/j.ssmph.2023.101599.
Přejít k původnímu zdroji...
Přejít na PubMed... - UNESCO. Education: from COVID-19 school closures to recovery [Internet]. UNESCO [cited 2025 Dec 16]. Available from: https://en.unesco.org/covid19/educationresponse.
- Anderson M, Faverio M, Gottfried J. Teens, social media and technology 2023. Pew Research Center; 2023.
- Lyyra N, Junttila N, Gustafsson J, Lahti H, Paakkari L. Adolescents' online communication and well-being: findings from the 2018 health behavior in school-aged children (HBSC) study. Front Psychiatry. 2022 Oct 6;13:976404. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.976404.
Přejít k původnímu zdroji...
Přejít na PubMed... - Vogels EA, Gelles-Watnick R, Massarat N. Teens, social media and technology 2022. Pew Research Center; 2022.
- Singh S, Roy D, Sinha K, Parveen S, Sharma G, Joshi G. Impact of COVID-19 and lockdown on mental health of children and adolescents: a narrative review with recommendations. Psychiatry Res. 2020 Nov;293:113429. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113429.
Přejít k původnímu zdroji...
Přejít na PubMed... - Uhls YT, Felt L, Wartella E, Sanders A. Investigating viewership of season 3 of "13 reasons why" and the mental wellness of adolescents: partially randomized preference trial. JMIR Ment Health. 2021 Sep 15;8(9):e25782. doi: 10.2196/25782.
Přejít k původnímu zdroji...
Přejít na PubMed... - Keles B, McCrae N, Grealish A. A systematic review: the influence of social media on depression, anxiety and psychological distress in adolescents. Int J Adolesc Youth. 2020;25(1):79-93.
Přejít k původnímu zdroji... - Shoshani A, Kor A, Bar S. The impact of social media use on psychiatric symptoms and well-being of children and adolescents in the Post-COVID-19 era: a four-year longitudinal study. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2024 Nov;33(11):4013-27.
Přejít k původnímu zdroji...
Přejít na PubMed...



