ABSTRACT Young people's civic engagement in online environments, particularly on social networking sites, is often assumed to have mixed consequences for individual development. Previous theorizing suggests that online civic engagement can foster civic development by stimulating interest in sociopolitical issues and strengthening a sense of sociopolitical control. At the same time, it may also entail problematic outcomes, such as heightened perceptions of political polarization or diminished social well‐being. This study examines bidirectional relationships between online civic engagement and five potential outcomes—political interest, sociopolitical control, perceived political polarization, social well‐being, and perceived social support—among late adolescents and young adults. Data were drawn from a seven‐wave longitudinal study conducted in the Czech Republic ( N = 1257; 71% women), following participants aged 18–30 ( M = 23.38, SD = 3.74) over a 1.5‐year period using repeated self‐report measures. Passive and active dimensions of online civic engagement were distinguished. Random intercept cross‐lagged panel modeling revealed no consistent within‐person effects from online civic engagement to the outcome variables that replicated across multiple waves. However, occasional positive effects of online civic engagement on political interest and sociopolitical control were observed, as well as a bidirectional association with lower social well‐being. No evidence was found for effects on perceived political polarization or perceived social support. Overall, the findings suggest that both the anticipated positive and negative effects of online civic engagement on youths’ civic and social outcomes may occur but are limited in magnitude and likely short‐term. Consequently, efforts to utilize online engagement for youth civic development should remain modest in their expectations, both in terms of potential benefits and potential risks.
Šerek et al. (Mon,) studied this question.