Adolescents increasingly use digital technology. However, there might be variability in how important adolescents perceive their interactions with media and technology 1) to bridge online and offline experiences, 2) to go outside one’s identity or offline environment and 3) for social connection. This study aims to validate the Spanish version of the Adolescent Digital Technology Interactions and Importance Scale (ADTI), originally developed for US adolescents, with a sample of Peruvian adolescents. In addition, we investigated developmental and gender differences in these subscales. A total of 1,425 Peruvian adolescents (10 - 17 years, Mage = 13.2; 52% female) completed the ADTI remotely via Qualtrics in April 2020, a few weeks after adolescents had started remote schooling. I ran descriptive statistics and linear regressions to test for age and gender differences. Factor 1 (bridging online and offline experiences) was the highest ranked M = 15.1 (5), followed by Factor 2 (going outside one’s identity or offline environment), M = 14.2 (4.6). Factor 3 (social connection) was the lowest ranked M = 12.6 (4.5). Age was significantly correlated with Factor 1 and Factor 3 indicating that older adolescents endorsed higher levels of importance of technology for bridging online and offline environments as well as social connection. There was no significant age difference for Factor 2. We investigated gender differences. Girls had significantly higher levels for Factor 1 compared to boys Mgirls = 15.4 (4.7); Mboys = 14.7 (5.2) and for Factor 3 Mgirls = 13.4 (4.6); Mboys = 11.9 (4.3). There were no significant gender differences for Factor 2. This work can lead to better understanding of the role that technology plays in the lives of adolescents, and to implementation of safer practices in media and technology.

Adolescence is a critical stage of development, a time in which social relations are pivotal to feelings of connectedness, belongingness, and wellbeing. Amidst the rise in usage of widespread social media platforms, adolescents have begun to seek out online-only friendships (OOFs), prompting our lab to explore the prevalence and quality of these social connections. We first gathered data from adolescents (n = 5756, ages 10-18) in Peru in 2020, during the COVID-19 lockdown. In 2023, we repeated and refined our prior analyses after gathering data from adolescents in Bolivia (n = 1071) and Uruguay (n = 647). We administered a Qualtrics survey asking participants to self-report on the number and perceived quality of OOFs and IPFs (in-person friendships), using the Network of Relationships Inventory (Furman and Buhmester, 1985). I served as a Research Assistant (RA) for the interACT Lab. I reviewed the literature on online friendships, performed data cleanup, and assisted on statistical analyses of our data. Given the lack of prior research on the topic, our lab sought to explore the quality of online friendships in order to provide a foundation for future investigations. Currently, our lab is analyzing the quality of IPFs vs. OOFs on the basis of self-reported levels of support, closeness, trust, and similar-interests. 79.8% of adolescents in our sample have OOFs. In addition, preliminary findings indicate that IPFs have more negative qualities than OOFs, and that OOFs have more negative qualities than IPFs . This work is important because not only does it examine adolescent technology usage in regard to social connectivity, but it also presents findings from the Global South, which is often underrepresented in psychology research. Our findings provide an understanding of the benefits and downsides of engaging in online-only friendships for adolescents in South America, a region that is too often underrepresented in psychology research.