Social Media Use and Adolescent Mental Health: A Narrative Review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65826/JSAI.1.2.2026.58Keywords:
Adolescents, Mental health, social media, Depression, AnxietyAbstract
Social media use has become ubiquitous among Adolescents worldwide and has given rise to several debate regarding its impact on mental health. This narrative review critically examines the published literature and its impact, which will elucidate the complex interplay between digital media platforms and adolescent psychological outcomes from empirical studies and meta-analysis, retrieved from Scopus, PubMed, and Google Scholar databases. Several research indicates that social media contributes to both positive and negative outcomes, with negative outcomes often related to cyberbullying, social comparison, and sleep disturbance, while positive effects stem from social support and identity exploration. Important gaps remain prevalent, notably in casual inference, including longitudinal studies, innovative methodologies, and with new age technologies. These findings indicate how we can carefully plan public health rules and social media usage to protect and support adolescents mental health.
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