Relationship between use of Instant Messaging Applications with Psychological and Emotional Well- being of Adolescents

AbstractWhen thoughts and feelings are aligned, it helps in better exchange of information. As children grow in age, their urge to communicate grows. Having access to smartphones or digital devices, children spend most of their time on digital platforms. They use instant messaging applications (hereafter IMA) on their digital devices to socialize with people. They are self-conscious and try to build a digital identity to influence and be influenced by others. IMA is a technology that helps to transmit written text, audio, or video messages. IMA allows interpersonal communication through expressive writing and social support. As children reach the adolescent stage, maintenance of social ties is crucial for their psychological and emotional well-being. The aim of this research was to identify the extent of use of IMA among adolescents. It further explored the relationship between the use of IMA and the psychological and emotional well-being of children. The research also focused on finding gender differences in the use of IMA, as well as the psychological and emotional well-being of children. The nature of sampling was the convenience sampling method, and a self-constructed tool with good reliability (r = .75) and content validity was used to collect data. The locale of the sampling was Mumbai. The total sample of the study was 150. It was found that the majority (92.2%) of the children had mobile phones with internet connections. Most of the children (87.4%) used IMA for communication with friends and family. The majority of them checked IMA every hour. Commonly used IMAs were WhatsApp and Instagram. There was a positive, significant but weak correlation between the use of IMA and the psychological and emotional well-being of adolescents. There was no statistically significant difference in the use of IMA and the psychological and emotional wellbeing of adolescents with respect to gender. To conclude, IMA has been extensively utilized by adolescents and shows a relationship with their well-being.