Over 90% of US adolescents own a smartphone. Adolescents commonly use smartphones to communicate through apps such as Snapchat and Instagram. Considering the rise in technology use and depressive symptoms amongst adolescents, communication patterns can provide insight into the communication habits of depressed adolescents. Prior research suggests that the effects of digital technology use on adolescents’ well-being differ based on the type of use and frequency of communication. We examined how adolescents with elevated depressive symptoms use smartphones to communicate, including apps, modalities, frequency of communication, and with whom they communicated. The sample (N=46) comprised largely female (70%) and Hispanic (80.4%) adolescents ages 12-18 years who met a cutoff of ≥16 on the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D). Data were collected from a larger study using smartphone-based ecological momentary assessment (EMA) and mobile sensing over one month to model idiographic networks of depressive symptoms and processes. At the follow-up visit, participants reported using native phone apps most frequently (100%), followed by Instagram (86.96%) and Snapchat (43.49%). Most participants reported texting as the most frequent method to contact friends (76.09%) and parents (56.52%). Findings demonstrate that adolescents use different communication methods to communicate with different people. Our sample used text most frequently, which may be due to convenience and autonomy. Findings are limited by self-report assessment of smartphone communication use and small sample size. Assessing content rather than the frequency of specific apps can provide insight into the nature and function of smartphone-based communication among depressed adolescents.
