Excessive Internet Use, Loneliness, and Depressive Symptoms in Finnish Adolescents: Gender-Differentiated Patterns and the Role of School Belonging

Excessive internet use (EIU), loneliness and depressive symptoms have been linked in adolescent research, but how these associations are organized within the school relational context, or whether they differ by gender, remains less clear. Drawing on data from the 2019 Finnish School Health Promotion study ( N = 70,907), this study used multi-group structural equation modeling with latent interactions to examine associations among EIU, loneliness, depressive symptoms, and school belonging across boys and girls. EIU was positively associated with loneliness and depressive symptoms in both gender groups, with loneliness occupying an intermediate position within the broader association pattern. Higher school belonging was associated with a weaker loneliness-depressive symptoms link. Core associations were stronger among girls, with gender differences emerging primarily in the configuration of associations rather than in single paths. Although the cross-sectional design precludes causal inference, the findings highlight school belonging as a relational context closely tied to adolescents’ emotional experiences.