Social media sites offer critical opportunities for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, and other sexual and/or gender minority (LGBTQ+) youth to enhance well-being through exploring their identities, accessing resources, and connecting with peers. Yet extant measures of youth social media use disproportionately focus on the detrimental impacts of online participation, such as overuse and cyberbullying. This study developed a Social Media Benefits Scale (SMBS) through an online survey with a diverse sample (n = 6,178) of LGBTQ+ youth aged 14–29. Over three-quarters of the sample endorsed non-monosexual and/or and gender fluid identities (e.g., gender non-conforming, non-binary, pansexual, bisexual). Participants specified their five most used social media sites and then indicated whether they derived any of 17 beneficial items (e.g., feeling connected, gaining information) with the potential to enhance well-being from each site. An exploratory factor analysis determined the scale’s factor structure. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Sheffe post hoc tests examined age group differences. A four-factor solution emerged that measures participants’ use of social media for: (1) emotional support and development, (2) general educational purposes, (3) entertainment, and (4) acquiring LGBTQ+-specific information. Bartlett’s test of sphericity was significant (χ² = 40,828, p < .0005) and the scale had an alpha of .889. There were age group differences for all four factors (F = 3.79–75.88, p < .05). Younger adolescents were generally more likely to use social media for beneficial factors than older youth. This article discusses the scale’s development, exploratory properties, and implications for research and professional practice.

社交媒体网站为女同性恋，男同性恋，双性恋，跨性别，同志和其他性和/或性别少数群体（LGBTQ +）的年轻人提供了重要的机会，通过探索他们的身份，获取资源并与同龄人建立联系，从而提高了他们的幸福感。然而，青年社交媒体使用的现有衡量标准不成比例地集中于在线参与的有害影响，例如过度使用和网络欺凌。这项研究通过在线调查，采用了多种样本，开发了社交媒体福利量表（SMBS）（n = 6,178）14-29岁的LGBTQ +青少年。超过四分之三的样本支持非单性和/或性别流动性身份（例如，性别不符合，非二元，泛性，双性恋）。参与者指定了他们五个最常使用的社交媒体网站，然后指出他们是否衍生了17个有益项目（例如，感觉联系，获取信息）中的任何一项，有可能增强每个网站的幸福感。探索性因素分析确定了量表的因素结构。方差分析（ANOVA）和Sheffe事后检验检查了年龄组差异。出现了一种四因素解决方案，用于衡量参与者对以下方面的社交媒体使用：（1）情感支持和发展；（2）一般教育目的；（3）娱乐；以及（4）获取LGBTQ +特定信息。巴特利特（Bartlett）的球形度检验显着（χ²  = 40,828，p  <.0005），标度的alpha为.889。所有四个因素都有年龄组差异（F  = 3.79–75.88，p  <.05）。与年长的年轻人相比，年青的年轻人通常更可能使用社交媒体来获取有利因素。本文讨论了量表的发展，探索性质以及对研究和专业实践的意义。