The Decline in Adolescents' Mental Health with the Rise of Social Media: A Narrative Review

Abstract

Mental illness in adolescence has seen an unprecedented increase over the past decade. This has left parents, teachers, health-care providers, and other stakeholders wondering what is happening in the teenage population. What has caused such a significant increase in depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts and behaviors in young people aged 13-19? Most of the research in this narrative literature review of articles published from 2016 to 2024 points to social media use as a contributing factor. The goal of this paper is to present an analysis of research related to social media use and the increase in depression, anxiety, and suicide in adolescents. Identified themes include negative psychological and physical effects of increased social media use, several different types of addiction related to social media use, the mention of fear of missing out, cybervictimization, contagion phenomenon, and low perceived support.

Keywords: adolescents; anxiety/depression; mental health; social media; suicide.