A systematic review: the influence of social media on depression, anxiety and psychological distress in adolescents

• Published in: International journal of adolescence and youth Vol. 25; no. 1; pp. 79 - 93
• Main Authors: Keles, Betul, McCrae, Niall, Grealish, Annmarie
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Abingdon Routledge 31-12-2020; Taylor & Francis Ltd; Taylor & Francis Group
• Subjects: Addictions; Adolescents; Anxiety; Cohort analysis; depression; Health problems; Mass media effects; Mental depression; Mental disorders; Mental health; Psychological distress; Social anxiety; Social media; Social networks; Systematic review; Time use
• ISSN: 0267-3843; 2164-4527
• DOI: 10.1080/02673843.2019.1590851

While becoming inextricable to our daily lives, online social media are blamed for increasing mental health problems in younger people. This systematic review synthesized evidence on the influence of social media use on depression, anxiety and psychological distress in adolescents. A search of PsycINFO, Medline, Embase, CINAHL and SSCI databases reaped 13 eligible studies, of which 12 were cross-sectional. Findings were classified into four domains of social media: time spent, activity, investment and addiction. All domains correlated with depression, anxiety and psychological distress. However, there are considerable caveats due to methodological limitations of cross-sectional design, sampling and measures. Mechanisms of the putative effects of social media on mental health should be explored further through qualitative enquiry and longitudinal cohort studies.