Parents still matter: parents' communication and behaviors around social media are associated with adolescents' emotional responses to social media and depressive symptoms

Background Adolescents are often the focus when it comes to discussions about social media (SM) and mental health. However, parents' behaviors around SM [i.e., parents using SM and ignoring their teen (phubbing) and communication about SM with their teen] may be integral to understanding how adolescents respond to SM and depressive symptoms. Method The current study included 410 adolescents (14–17; M age = 15.99; 56% White; 44% girls) who completed a cross-sectional online survey of positive and negative emotional responses to SM, depressive symptoms, and perceptions of their parents' SM behaviors (phubbing and parent–teen SM communication). Path analyses examined whether parents' SM behaviors (phubbing and parent–teen SM communication) were associated with teens' social media responses. Statistical indirect path analyses further examined whether parental SM phubbing and communication were associated with adolescents' depression through adolescents' emotional responses to SM. Results Adolescents' perception of parent SM phubbing was associated with higher levels of adolescents' negative emotional responses to SM ( B = 0.18, p = 0.003), which indirectly was associated with adolescents' depression symptoms ( B = 0.06, p = 0.005). At the same time, more parent–teen SM communication was associated with more frequent positive emotional responses to SM ( B = 0.21, p < 0.001), which was associated with fewer depression symptoms ( B = −0.05, p = 0.002). Conclusions Findings indicate that parents are an important factor in how their adolescents' emotionally respond to SM experiences, in both negative and positive ways. Parents limiting SM use while engaging with their teens (i.e., phubbing) and engaging in more frequent open, non-judgmental communication about teens' SM experiences may be protective against depressive symptoms. Guidelines targeting adolescents' healthy SM use should consider these actionable behaviors to better equip parents and adolescents to thrive in a digital world.