Problematic social media use and mental health in adolescents: an integrative review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55892/jrg.v9i20.3308Keywords:
Adolescent, Social media, Mental health, Problematic use, Integrative reviewAbstract
Social media use has become central to adolescents’ lives and has been associated with both benefits and negative impacts on mental health, particularly when engagement assumes problematic patterns. This study analyzed recent scientific evidence regarding the association between problematic social media use and mental health in adolescents through an integrative literature review conducted in the PubMed and ScienceDirect databases. The selection included articles published between 2021 and 2026 in Portuguese and English, using the descriptors “adolescents,” “social media,” and “mental health,” resulting in the descriptive analysis of 22 studies. The findings characterize problematic use as a behavioral addiction mediated by Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) and by the algorithmic architecture of social media platforms. An association was identified between daily use exceeding two hours and increased symptoms of anxiety and depression, with sleep emerging as the main biological mediator of adverse mental health outcomes. Exposure to idealized content was also found to negatively affect self-esteem and body image, with gender disparities and associations with risks such as cyberbullying. It is concluded that problematic social media use is associated with multiple adverse effects on adolescent mental health, reinforcing the need for clinical interventions and digital literacy strategies focused on quality of use and sleep hygiene.
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