Online Prosocial Behaviors in Adolescence and Young Adulthood: Differential Age and Gender patterns for Online Emotional Support and Online Activism

Adolescence and emerging adulthood are important developmental periods for extending prosocial behaviors to broader societal contexts, which is influenced by widespread access to online environments. This study examined online emotional support and online activism in 998 adolescents and young adults (ages 12–24; 59% female) using an extended version of the Online Prosocial Behavior Scale (OPBS-E). First, we established the scale's convergent validity with offline prosocial behaviors and demonstrated reliability across two time points, separated by 6 months. Results showed that online emotional support was positively correlated with economic game donations to friends, while online activism was linked to higher compulsive social media use. Second, this study revealed distinct age and gender patterns for online emotional support and activism. Overall, females showed more online emotional support than males, whereas males showed more online activism. Age patterns revealed that online emotional support was higher for females than males in younger adolescence and young adulthood, but males showed similar levels of online emotional support as females in the late teenage years. Furthermore, younger adolescents demonstrated higher levels of online activism with decreasing trends into emerging adulthood, independent of gender. This study shows diverse manifestations and developmental patterns for online prosocial behaviors and attitudes. It underscores the importance of considering the online environment in understanding adolescents' and young adults’ prosocial development.