Teens that use social media to harass their dating partners create more anxiety for themselves, according to University of Michigan researchers.
The new study says electronic intrusion, which is the use of digital media like Facebook or Twitter to track a dating partner, is common in high school dating relationships.
Lauren Reed, lead author of the study, says while digital media can have positive impacts, it can also create a cycle of anxiety where social media both triggers relationship anxiety and is used for surveillance to alleviate anxiety.
She says they found similar results in an earlier study of college students.
About 700 high schoolers were surveyed for the study.
The findings will appear in journal Computers in Human Behavior.