Gaming together, feeling better—or feeling worse? How social video gaming impacts loneliness and depressive mood differently for boys and girls

Social video gaming has become an integral part of adolescent life, yet its impact on well-being remains unclear. This longitudinal study examines how social gaming relates to loneliness and depressive mood among adolescents, considering both within-person and between-person associations. Additionally, it explores the moderating roles of gender and age. Data were collected from a large sample of Czech adolescents across four waves, with social gaming assessed using an adapted version of the Social Interaction Potential Assessment (SIPA) tool. A random-intercept cross-lagged panel model (RI-CLPM) was employed to distinguish stable between-person differences from within-person fluctuations over time. Findings revealed that while adolescents who generally played more social games reported higher loneliness at the between-person level, an increase in social gaming was associated with a decrease of loneliness at the within-person level. No direct link between social gaming and depressive mood was observed. Gender differences emerged, with social gaming reducing loneliness and depressive mood for boys but increasing both for girls at within-person level. Additionally, early adolescents were more likely to increase social gaming in response to depressive mood, whereas mid-adolescents showed the opposite pattern. These results suggest that while social gaming may provide temporary relief from loneliness, particularly for boys, it may also reflect underlying vulnerabilities, especially for girls. The findings highlight the need for a nuanced understanding of social gaming's role in adolescent well-being, considering individual differences in gender and age. • Social gaming was linked to loneliness positively at between-person level. • At within-person level, more social gaming led to less loneliness later. • Social gaming decreased boys' loneliness and depressive mood. • Social gaming increased girls' loneliness and depressive mood. • Depressive mood increased social gaming for girls and younger teens.