Peer-Reviewed Study

Who They Play With Matters: An Exploration of Behavioral Pathways Linking Loneliness, Social Anxiety, and Problematic Gaming

Feb 2026 🇺🇸 Journal of Adolescent Health (Elsevier) PEER-REVIEWED PAYWALLED — LINKED, NOT HOSTED

This Journal of Adolescent Health study by Zhiying Yue, Michael Rich, and Digital Wellness Lab colleagues surveyed 1,468 U.S. adolescents to examine how loneliness and social anxiety separately shape the way teens game, and how that relates to problematic gaming. Lonelier teens were more likely to play alongside strangers or casual peers — a pattern the study links to a higher chance of problematic gaming — while socially anxious teens tended toward solo play instead. Gaming while communicating with real-life friends was associated with a lower likelihood of problematic gaming, whereas gaming while communicating mainly with strangers was associated with a higher likelihood. The authors conclude that who a teen plays with, and why, matters as much as how long they play, and that prevention should weigh a teen's social motivations and relationships alongside screen time. TechKids Foundation cites it as evidence that gaming's social context shapes its risks.

n = 1,468 U.S. adolescents surveyed

The cross-sectional study surveyed 1,468 U.S. teens about their gaming companions, communication patterns while gaming, loneliness, social anxiety, and problematic-gaming indicators.

Gaming with known friends linked to lower problematic-gaming risk; gaming with strangers linked to higher risk

Communicating mainly with real-life friends while gaming was associated with a reduced likelihood of problematic gaming, while communicating mainly with strangers was associated with an increased likelihood, per the study's findings.

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CITATION

Yue, Zhiying, David Bickham, Samuel Schwamm, and Michael Rich. "Who They Play With Matters: An Exploration of Behavioral Pathways Linking Loneliness, Social Anxiety, and Problematic Gaming." Journal of Adolescent Health 78, no. 2 (February 2026): 294–301. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2025.09.029

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