1.
Perceived social isolation (PSI) is associated
with substantial morbidity and mortality. Social media platforms, commonly used
by young adults, may offer an opportunity to ameliorate social isolation. This
study assessed associations between social media use (SMU) and PSI among U.S.
young adults.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28279545/
Primack, B. A., Shensa, A.,
Sidani, J. E., Whaite, E. O., Lin, L. Y., Rosen, D., … & Miller, E.
(2017). Social media use and perceived social isolation among young
adults in the U.S. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 53(1), 1-8.
This study investigates the
relationship between social media use and perceived social isolation among
young adults, which can indirectly influence their mental health. Although not
focused exclusively on teens, it provides insights into how social media
engagement can affect feelings of loneliness and isolation, which are relevant
to teens’ mental well-being.
2.
The widespread use of digital technologies by
young people has spurred speculation that their regular use negatively impacts
psychological well-being. Current empirical evidence supporting this idea is
largely based on secondary analyses of large-scale social datasets. Though these
datasets provide a valuable resource for highly powered investigations, their
many variables and observations are often explored with an analytical
flexibility that marks small effects as statistically significant, thereby
leading to potential false positives and conflicting results.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-018-0506-1
Orben, A., &
Przybylski, A. K. (2019). The association between adolescent well-being
and digital technology use. Nature Human Behaviour, 3(2), 173-182.
This comprehensive review
examines the relationship between digital technology use (including social
media) and adolescent well-being. It discusses both positive and negative
aspects of social media use, offering valuable insights into how social media
impacts various facets of teens’ health, including mental health.
3.
Despite the salience of the social media context
to psychosocial development, little is known about social media use patterns
and how they relate to psychological and social functioning over time during
early adolescence. This longitudinal study, therefore, identified subgroups of
early adolescents based on their social media use and examined whether these
subgroups predicted psychosocial functioning.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10964-019-01060-9
Vannucci, A., McCauley
Ohannessian, C., & Gagnon, S. (2019). Social media use subgroups
differentially predict psychosocial well-being during early adolescence. Journal
of Youth and Adolescence, 48(8), 1469-1493.
This longitudinal study
identifies different subgroups of adolescent social media users and examines
their associations with psychosocial well-being. It provides nuanced findings
on how various patterns of social media use can impact teens’ mental health and
overall well-being.
4.
Adolescents are spending an increasing amount of
their time online and connected to each other via digital technologies. Mobile
device ownership and social media usage have reached unprecedented levels, and
concerns have been raised that this constant connectivity is harming
adolescents’ mental health.
https://acamh.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jcpp.13190
Odgers, C. L., &
Jensen, M. R. (2020). Annual research review: Adolescent mental health in the
digital age: facts, fears, and future directions. Journal of Child
Psychology and Psychiatry, 61(3), 336-348.
This review paper synthesizes
current evidence on the relationship between digital technology use, including
social media, and adolescent mental health. It discusses the complexities and
challenges in understanding this relationship, offering insights into future
research directions and implications for interventions aimed at promoting
teens’ mental health.
5.
In nationally representative yearly surveys of
United States 8th, 10th, and 12th graders 1991–2016 (N = 1.1 million),
psychological well-being (measured by self-esteem, life satisfaction, and
happiness) suddenly decreased after 2012. Adolescents who spent more time on
electronic communication and screens (e.g., social media, the Internet,
texting, gaming) and less time on non-screen activities (e.g., in-person social
interaction, sports/exercise, homework, attending religious services) had lower
psychological well-being.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/322651013_Decreases_in_Psychological_Well-Being_Among_American_Adolescents_After_2012_and_Links_to_Screen_Time_During_the_Rise_of_Smartphone_Technology
Twenge, J. M., Campbell, W.
K., & Martin, G. N. (2018). Decreases in psychological well-being among
American adolescents after 2012 and links to screen time during the rise of
smartphone technology. Emotion, 18(6), 765-780.
This study examines trends in
psychological well-being among American adolescents and their association with
increased screen time, particularly smartphone use. While not solely focused on
social media, it highlights the potential impact of digital technology,
including social media platforms, on teens’ mental health.
6.
Research on the relationship between Facebook
use intensity and depressive symptoms has resulted in mixed findings. In
contrast, problematic Facebook use has been found to be a robust predictor of
depressive symptoms. This suggests that when intense Facebook use results in a
problematic usage pattern, it may indirectly predict depressive symptoms.
However, this mediation pathway has never been examined. Moreover, it remains
unclear whether the possible indirect relationship between Facebook use
intensity and depressive symptoms through problematic Facebook use is moderated
by demographic (age), and personality (neuroticism and extraversion)
characteristics.
https://bmcpsychology.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40359-022-00990-7
Yoon, S., Kleinman, M.,
Mertz, J., & Brannick, M. (2019). Is social network site usage related to
depression? A meta-analysis of Facebook–depression relations. Journal of
Affective Disorders, 248, 65-72.
This meta-analysis
investigates the relationship between Facebook use and depression. While not
specific to teens, it provides insights into the potential negative effects of
social media use on mental health, which can be relevant to understanding its
impact on teens’ well-being.
