Who Uses What, Where, and Why It Matters: A Person-Centered Study of Digital Engagement and Mental Health Among Chinese Adolescents

Adolescents’ digital engagement is increasingly multidimensional, yet most research has focused on singular behaviors (e.g., gaming, social media) and WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic) populations. Guided by the Differential Susceptibility to Media Effects Model (DSMM) and Self-Determination Theory (SDT), this study examined the heterogeneity of internet use patterns among Chinese adolescents and their associations with psychological outcomes.Using cross-sectional survey data from 531 middle school students (aged 12–14) in urban China, we assessed time use across five content domains: social media, video streaming, gaming, online reading, and academic use. Latent profile analysis identified four distinct usage profiles: Social Media/Video/Study-Centric (36%), Novel Reading-Centric (34%), Study-Centric (17%), and Gaming-Centric (13%). Profile membership was predicted by gender, age, and device autonomy. Males were significantly more likely to belong to the Gaming-Centric group, while females were overrepresented in the Social Media/Video/Study-Centric profile. Adolescents with greater usage autonomy were more likely to fall into the Study-Centric profile. Psychological outcomes varied meaningfully across profiles. The Novel Reading-Centric group which often overlooked in policy showed the highest internalizing and externalizing difficulties. The Study-Centric profile reported lower psychological distress and higher prosociality. Despite moderate behavioral difficulties, the Gaming-Centric group reported the highest well-being. These findings underscore the importance of moving beyond screen time to examine who is engaging in what digital activities, and where those behaviors are situated culturally and structurally. Results highlight the need for content- and context-sensitive approaches to digital policy, parenting, and mental health support.