Arseam

International Journal of Marketing & Financial Management

THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON THE PSYCHOLOGY OF YOUTHS

Dr Hemant Kumar Shrotriya, Mohit Garg, Taruna Gitkar, Arun Kumar Mavi

Dr Hemant Kumar Shrotriya, Associate Professor, Lakshmi Narain College of Technology Excellence -MBA, Bhopal, MP.

Mohit Garg, Assistant Professor, Greater Noida Institute of Management, Greater Noida, UP.

Taruna Gitkar, Assistant Professor, Sage group of Institutions (SIRT), Bhopal, MP.

Arun Kumar Mavi, Assistant Professor, ITS College of Professional studies, Greater Noida, UP.

DOI : https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18951568 Page No : 15-23

Published Online : 2026-03-11

Download Full Article : PDF Check for Updates

ABSTRACT

The psychological impact of the use of social media from youth populations or adolescents and young adults at a time when mental health issues are becoming more common and the use of social media platforms is widespread. Using a narrative synthesis approach, we synthesized recent systematic reviews, longitudinal cohort studies and advisory reports, including the U.S. Surgeon General's updates between 2023-2025, to understand patterns of use, underlying mechanisms and outcomes. The results show that overuse (more than three hours per day) is related to two times the risk of depression, anxiety and distress and is bidirectionally related to such adverse consequences as poor sleep, negative body image, cyberbullying and social comparison; these connections are often stronger for females and younger adolescents. Longitudinal evidence has indicated a predictive association between problematic use and deterioration of symptoms over time; however, some studies report quite modest or nonsignificant relationships after controlling for potential confounding variables. In contrast, moderate and active engagement have been found to be beneficial to social connectedness and well-being from time to time.

REFERENCES

[1] A. Bye, E. Wilson-Lemoine, K. Trevillion, B. Carter, and R. Dutta, “Factors that affect clinical youth engagement in digital mental health research: a qualitative sub-study nested within a prospective cohort study,” BMC Med. Res. Methodol., vol. 25, no. 1, Dec. 2025, doi: 10.1186/s12874-025-02571-9.

[2] A. M. Khalaf, A. A. Alubied, A. M. Khalaf, and A. A. Rifaey, “The Impact of Social Media on the Mental Health of Adolescents and Young Adults: A Systematic Review,” Cureus, Aug. 2023, doi: 10.7759/cureus.42990.

[3] J. M. Nagata et al., “Social Media Use and Depressive Symptoms During Early Adolescence,” JAMA Netw. Open, vol. 8, no. 5, May 2025, doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.11704.

[4] N. Agyapong-Opoku, F. Agyapong-Opoku, and A. J. Greenshaw, “Effects of Social Media Use on Youth and Adolescent Mental Health: A Scoping Review of Reviews,” Behavioral Sciences 2025, Vol. 15, Page 574, vol. 15, no. 5, p. 574, Apr. 2025, doi: 10.3390/bs15050574.

[5] P. M. Valkenburg, A. Meier, and I. Beyens, “Social media use and its impact on adolescent mental health: An umbrella review of the evidence,” Curr. Opin. Psychol., vol. 44, pp. 58–68, Apr. 2022, doi: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2021.08.017.

[6] A. M. Khalaf, A. A. Alubied, A. M. Khalaf, and A. A. Rifaey, “The Impact of Social Media on the Mental Health of Adolescents and Young Adults: A Systematic Review,” Cureus, vol. 15, no. 8, p. e42990, Aug. 2023, doi: 10.7759/cureus.42990.

[7] T. D. Ziporyn, B. A. Malow, K. Oakes, and K. L. Wahlstrom, “Self-report surveys of student sleep and well-being: a review of use in the context of school start times,” Sleep Health, vol. 3, no. 6, pp. 498–507, Dec. 2017, doi: 10.1016/j.sleh.2017.09.002.

[8] D. A. Alsaleh, M. T. Elliott, F. Q. Fu, and R. Thakur, “Cross-cultural differences in the adoption of social media,” Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing, vol. 13, no. 1, pp. 119–140, Mar. 2019, doi: 10.1108/JRIM-10-2017-0092.

[9] T. Liu et al., “The Impact of Social Media on Children’s Mental Health: A Systematic Scoping Review,” Healthcare 2024, Vol. 12, Page 2391, vol. 12, no. 23, p. 2391, Nov. 2024, doi: 10.3390/healthcare12232391.

[10] J. M. Nagata et al., “Social Media Use and Depressive Symptoms During Early Adolescence,” JAMA Netw. Open, vol. 8, no. 5, May 2025, doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.11704.

[11] M. Zetterqvist, G. S. Brunborg, and J. Raninen, “Long-term consequences of adolescent social media use on mental health in young adulthood,” Eur. J. Public Health, vol. 35, no. Supplement_4, Oct. 2025, doi: 10.1093/eurpub/ckaf161.526.

[12] P. M. Valkenburg, A. Meier, and I. Beyens, “Social media use and its impact on adolescent mental health: An umbrella review of the evidence,” Curr. Opin. Psychol., vol. 44, no. 6, pp. 58–68, Apr. 2022, doi: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2021.08.017.

[13] A. Sala, L. Porcaro, and E. Gómez, “Social Media Use and adolescents’ mental health and well-being: An umbrella review,” Computers in Human Behavior Reports, vol. 14, no. 1, p. 100404, May 2024, doi: 10.1016/j.chbr.2024.100404.

[14] A. Bye, E. Wilson-Lemoine, K. Trevillion, B. Carter, and R. Dutta, “Factors that affect clinical youth engagement in digital mental health research: a qualitative sub-study nested within a prospective cohort study,” BMC Med. Res. Methodol., vol. 25, no. 1, Dec. 2025, doi: 10.1186/s12874-025-02571-9.

[15] E. Calvert et al., “Social Media Detox and Youth Mental Health,” JAMA Netw. Open, vol. 8, no. 11, p. e2545245, 2025, doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.45245.

[16] O. of the S. G. (OSG), “Social Media and Youth Mental Health,” social media and Youth Mental Health: The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory, 2023, Accessed: Mar. 02, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK594761/

[17] R. Plackett, A. Blyth, and P. Schartau, “The Impact of Social Media Use Interventions on Mental Well-Being: Systematic Review,” J. Med. Internet Res., vol. 25, 2023, doi: 10.2196/44922.

[18] T. Prince et al., “Differential neural responses to body image-related cyberbullying in adolescent females,” Neuroimage, vol. 314, no. 3–4, p. 121266, Jul. 2025, doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2025.121266.

[19] M. Grajek, T. Jurys, and M. Rozmiarek, “Between Screens and Self-Perception: The Role of Gender and Digital Media Use in Shaping Body Esteem and Self-Esteem Among Adolescents,” Children 2025, Vol. 12, Page 1143, vol. 12, no. 9, p. 1143, Aug. 2025, doi: 10.3390/children12091143.

Cite this Article as: Hemant K.S, Mohit G, Taruna G, Arun K. M (2026), “The Impact of Social Media on the Psychology of Youths”, International Journal of Marketing & Financial Management, Volume 14, Issue1, 2026, pp 15-.23, DOI : https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18951568

Article View: 81
PDF Download: 15

REFERENCES

[3] J. M. Nagata et al., “Social Media Use and Depressive Symptoms During Early Adolescence,” JAMA Netw. Open, vol. 8, no. 5, May 2025, doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.11704.

[10] J. M. Nagata et al., “Social Media Use and Depressive Symptoms During Early Adolescence,” JAMA Netw. Open, vol. 8, no. 5, May 2025, doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.11704.

[15] E. Calvert et al., “Social Media Detox and Youth Mental Health,” JAMA Netw. Open, vol. 8, no. 11, p. e2545245, 2025, doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.45245.

[17] R. Plackett, A. Blyth, and P. Schartau, “The Impact of Social Media Use Interventions on Mental Well-Being: Systematic Review,” J. Med. Internet Res., vol. 25, 2023, doi: 10.2196/44922.

International Peer Reviewed & Refereed Journal as per UGC New Rules

UGC approved Journal No: 44990 (17)

Submission Instruction

Call for Paper

Submit Paper Online

Join Editorial Board

Author Guidelines

Indexed in

THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON THE PSYCHOLOGY OF YOUTHS

Aims and Objectives

Ethics Policy

Peer Review Policy

Call for Paper

Conference

Instruction To Review

Guide To Authors