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Abstract This study explores the practices of online social activities among children and adolescents in order to uncover the connections between preferences for online social interaction and loneliness, social support, and the mediating effect of identity experimentation online. Data were gathered from a random sample of 718 youngsters aged 9 to 19. Analyses revealed that individuals who are lonely and have a lower level of offline social support find opportunities for identity experimentation online more gratifying than those who are less lonely or not lonely. Both loneliness and social support offline were found significantly related to preference for online social interaction, but the relationships were mediated by identity experimentation online. Finally, it was found that age differences exist. In particular, individuals aged 9 to 14 who are lonely and those aged 15 to 19 with little social support show a significant preference for online social interaction. Implications for future research into identity experimentation online and social relationship are discussed. Keywords: children and adolescentsidentity experimentation onlinelonelinesspreference for online social interactionsocial support Acknowledgements The work described in this paper was fully supported by a grant from the Research Grant Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (Project no. CUHK 4315/01H).
Louis Leung (Mon,) studied this question.