Facebook as a means to make new peers among early maturing girls

We explored, for the first time, links between female pubertal timing and adolescent Internet use, Facebook use, and the size of peer networks on Facebook in a Swedish early adolescent sample (N = 166). Although pubertal timing was not linked to Internet use or Facebook use, it was linked to being more open about oneself and having more Facebook friends in grade 7. These associations had disappeared one year later. Consonant with previous studies of offline contexts, this study provides preliminary evidence to suggest that Facebook is a means to make new peers among early maturing girls in early adolescence.