Social media use and its impact on adolescent mental health: An umbrella review of the evidence

Family factors related to adolescent screen media use and mental health outcomes: A systematic review and recommendation for practices

INTRODUCTION

Screen media serves an essential role in adolescents' lives, posing growth opportunities and mental health challenges. Family plays a crucial role in mitigating these challenges. This systematic review offers a comprehensive analysis of the family factors related to adolescent screen media use and mental health.

METHODS

A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Scopus, and Embase, adhering to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines using the following inclusion criteria: English, peer-reviewed, observational design, and published since 2013; adolescent samples aged 10-17 years; and examining screen media use, family factors, and internalizing problems. The role of family factors as predictors, moderators, and mediators was also examined.

RESULTS

Of the 3587 records, 32 met the inclusion criteria. These studies, primarily cross-sectional, presented a global perspective of 14 countries. A heterogeneous range of family factors, screen media use, and mental health outcomes were examined, revealing significant associations between elevated screen media use and internalizing problems. Positive family processes and democratic media-specific parenting mitigate such association. A few studies underscored family socioeconomic status (SES), noting elevated screen media use and mental health risks among adolescents in families of low SES.

CONCLUSIONS

Accumulating evidence supports the important role of positive family contexts in fostering balanced screen media use and mental health in adolescents, accentuating the need for professional screening and education to promote positive screen media use among adolescents and families. Further research requires refinement in measurement and methodology to better capture the intricate relationship between family dynamics, screen media use, and adolescent mental health.

Social Media Use and Internalizing Symptoms in Clinical and Community Adolescent Samples: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Importance

In response to widespread concerns about social media's influence on adolescent mental health, most research has studied adolescents from the general population, overlooking clinical groups.

Objective

To synthesize, quantify, and compare evidence on the association between social media use and internalizing symptoms in adolescent clinical and community samples.

Data Sources

Peer-reviewed publications from MEDLINE, Web of Science, PsycInfo, and Scopus (initially reviewed in May 2022 and updated in October 2023) and preprints from Europe PubMed Central (February 2023) published in English between 2007 and 2023.

Study Selection

Two blinded reviewers initially identified 14 211 cross-sectional and longitudinal studies quantifying the association between social media use and internalizing symptoms, excluding experimental studies and randomized clinical trials.

Data Extraction and Synthesis

PRISMA and MOOSE guidelines were followed, pooling data using a random-effects model and robust variance estimation. The quality of evidence was assessed using the Quality of Survey Studies in Psychology Checklist.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Articles were included if they reported at least 1 quantitative measure of social media use (time spent, active vs passive use, activity, content, user perception, and other) and internalizing symptoms (anxiety, depression, or both).

Results

The 143 studies reviewed included 1 094 890 adolescents and 886 effect sizes, 11% of which examined clinical samples. In these samples, a positive and significant meta-correlation was found between social media use and internalizing symptoms, both for time spent (n = 2893; r, 0.08; 95% CI, 0.01 to 0.15; P = .03; I2, 57.83) and user engagement (n = 859; r, 0.12; 95% CI, 0.09 to 0.15; P = .002; I2, 82.67). These associations mirrored those in community samples.

Conclusions and Relevance

The findings in this study highlight a lack of research on clinical populations, a critical gap considering public concerns about the increase in adolescent mental health symptoms at clinical levels. This paucity of evidence not only restricts the generalizability of existing research but also hinders our ability to evaluate and compare the link between social media use and mental health in clinical vs nonclinical populations.

Can #chatsafe support parents and carers beyond Australia? A qualitative study

BACKGROUND

Rates of self-harm and suicide are rising for young people globally and many implicate social media in this problem. To address this concern and to increase the confidence of adults to communicate safely about suicide and social media with young people, the #chatsafe Guide for Parents and Carers was developed in Australia. With significant uptake of the resource among Australian adults, the aim of the current study was to update and contextualise the #chatsafe Guide for Parents and Carers for audiences in 15 countries globally. To improve the relevance of this resource for parents and carers in these countries, the present study sought to understand the concerns held by parents, carers and suicide prevention professionals around the world about these topics and to explore the extent to which a resource such as #chatsafe would be helpful within their communities.

METHODS

Seven focus groups were conducted via Zoom with parents, carers and suicide prevention professionals (n = 40) from 15 countries. Transcribed data were coded and thematically analysed using both inductive and deductive processes.

RESULTS

Six themes are reported: (1) Two scary 'S' words; (2) Country and culture impact who talks (or is silent) about self-harm and suicide; (3) The need for a protective social ecosystem; (4) #chatsafe is a tool that can help parents, carers and young people worldwide; (5) #chatsafe should consider local context and end users to improve its relevance for parents and carers worldwide; and (6) A range of marketing and dissemination strategies are needed to reach adults with #chatsafe information. Findings of this study informed the update and contextualisation of the #chatsafe Guide for Parents and Carers for adult audiences in 15 countries.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings from this study underscore a universal need for psychoeducation initiatives that provide adults with the skills and knowledge to support the mental health of young people, both online and offline, and that resources like #chastafe can play an important role in providing reliable information about these topics to adults across a range of cultures and contexts.

The COVID-19 pandemic and wellbeing in Switzerland-worse for young people?

BACKGROUND

The key objective of our study was to describe the population-average trajectories of wellbeing, spanning the period of 2017-2022, comparing young people with other age groups. Moreover, we aimed to identify subgroups of young people who experienced disproportionate changes in wellbeing.

METHODS

We used longitudinal data from six waves (2017-2022) of the Swiss Household Panel. Participants were at least 14 years old in 2017 and had at least one valid composite measure of wellbeing between 2017 and 2022 (n individuals = 11,224; n observations = 49,032). The data were typically collected with telephone or web interviewing. The age of participants ranged from 14 to 102, with a roughly equal distribution of men (51.1%) and women (48.9%). We conceptualized wellbeing as positive affect and life satisfaction, negative affect, stress and psychosomatic symptoms. We described the trajectories of wellbeing using piecewise growth curve analysis. We included sociodemographic characteristics to further describe wellbeing trajectories across subgroups of young people. These comprised (1) gender, (2) migration status, (3) partnership status, (4) living with parents, (5) education/employment status, (6) household income.

RESULTS

Young people (age 14-25) experienced a steady decline in positive affect and life satisfaction throughout the entire period, with the greatest change occurring before the pandemic (2017-2019). The trajectories in this outcome were largely stable in other age groups. Moreover, young individuals showed a more pronounced increase in negative affect, particularly in the pre-pandemic years, compared to older groups. Negative affect increased during the pandemic, followed by a subsequent decline post-pandemic, observed similarly across all age groups. Among young people specifically, the trajectory of stress was similar to the one of negative affect. However, issues such as sleep problems, weakness, weariness, and headaches continued to increase in this population from 2017 to 2022. We also found evidence for a greater increase in negative affect during the pandemic in young women and those not in employment or education.

CONCLUSIONS

Given the fact that the decline in young people's wellbeing in Switzerland started two years before the pandemic, our study emphasises the importance of consideing their wellbeing within a broader systemic context beyond pandemic-related changes.

Problematic social media use in childhood and adolescence

At the time of writing, about 4.59 billion people use social media with many adolescents using their social media accounts across a myriad of applications and platforms. According to recent statistics, in 2022 individuals spent an average of 151 minutes on social media each day, illustrating the global relevance of social media (Dixon, 2022a,b). One of the pressing questions, internationally, is whether social media use is harmful and/or addictive. This question is of particular importance because many teenagers - and younger adolescents - spend considerable time on these platforms, which have increasingly become an integral part of their lives. Moreover, considering lifespan development, adolescents may be particularly vulnerable to specific features and advertisements shown to them on social media platforms. Growing prevalence of poor mental health in young people has led to recent recommendations in the United States to routinely screen for anxiety in 8-18 year olds, and for depression and suicide risk for adolescents between 12-18 years of age (US Preventive Services Task Force et al., 2022 a,b) - the conditions often accompanying problematic social media use. The present work not only provides insights into the current state of the literature but provides also recommendations.

The relationship between online communication and adolescents' mental health: Long-term evaluation between genders

AIMS

In a relatively short time, online communication has become an important part of adolescents' lives, and concerns have been raised about its potential effects on mental health. The first aim was to compare mental health status and online communication in 15-year-old Icelanders born in 1988 and in 1994. The second aim was to assess whether the relationship between online communication and mental health has changed among 15-year-old Icelanders from 2003 to 2015 across genders.

METHODS

Analysis used data from self-reports from 2003 (N=385, 51% males) and 2015 (N=302, 42% males). Mental health was assessed with subscales of Symptom Checklist 90 and online communications with self-reports. To evaluate the difference in anxiety and depression, a factorial analysis of variance was conducted between gender and years. Multigroup structural equation modelling was used to assess the change in the relationship between years.

RESULTS

Symptoms of anxiety and depression remained unchanged for males. Symptoms of depression increased for females, while anxiety was stable between 2003 and 2015. In 2003, there was no relationship between online communication and mental health. However, in 2015, an association was found for females.

CONCLUSIONS

Depression is getting worse for adolescent females, and an association between time spent online communicating and mental health emerged for them in 2015, which did not exist in 2003. These findings add to the possibility that online communication is harmful for mental health, but more detailed studies are still needed.

Social media threats and health among adolescents: evidence from the health behaviour in school-aged children study

BACKGROUND

Social media are immensely popular among adolescents. Thus, concerns have been raised about the threats adolescents encounter on social media and the possible negative health consequences, such as depressive symptoms and anxiety. This study investigated the prevalence of nine social media threats: (1) cyberbullying, (2) sexual harassment, (3) racism, (4) unauthorized distribution of sensitive material, (5) phishing attempts, (6) misinformation, (7) the sale or distribution of drugs, (8) harmful or dangerous social media challenges, (9) content causing appearance pressures. The study also investigated how individual and social factors, problematic social media use (PSMU), and online communication with strangers are associated with social media threat exposure, as well as the association between social media threats and self-rated health, depressive feelings, and anxiety symptoms.

METHODS AND FINDINGS

Nationally representative Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) data from Finland were obtained from 2288 respondents aged 11, 13, and 15 years. Fixed effects regression models were applied. The most common threat, encountered daily and weekly, was misinformation. Regression models showed that individual and social factors, PSMU, and online communication with strangers explained adolescent exposure to social media threats in differing ways. Furthermore, certain factors (e.g., emotional intelligence, family support) were associated with encountering social media threats less frequently, whereas other factors (e.g., PSMU, online communication with strangers) were associated with more frequent encounters. Daily and weekly exposure to social media threats was systematically associated with poor self-rated health, frequent depressive feelings, and anxiety symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study highlights the need for intervention and health promotion efforts to mitigate adolescent exposure to social media threats and ensuing negative health consequences.

Social Media Use and Serious Psychological Distress Among Adolescents

Unlabelled

This Research Letter describes the increasing trend of almost-constant social media use among California adolescents and the association with serious psychological distress, focusing on the influence of familial and experiential factors.

Internet Altruistic Behaviors in Adolescents: Roles of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Impulsiveness, and Perceived Social Support

This study examined the associations of an attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosis, impulsivity, and perceived social support with Internet altruistic behaviors (IABs) in adolescents and the associations of IABs with depression, suicidality, and nonsuicidal self-injury in this group. In total, 176 adolescents aged between 11 and 18 years with ADHD and 173 adolescents without ADHD (matched with the ADHD group by sex and age) participated in this study. The adolescents rated their IABs on the Internet altruistic behavior scale, impulsivity on the Barratt impulsiveness scale version 11, and perceived family and peer support on the family and social relationship domains of the Taiwanese quality of life questionnaire for adolescents. The associations of ADHD, impulsivity, and social support with IABs and the associations of IABs with depression, suicidality, and nonsuicidal self-injury were examined through multivariable linear regression analysis. The present study found that more time spent on the Internet (p < 0.001), greater perceived peer support (p < 0.001), greater impulsiveness characterized by a lack of self-control and perseverance (p < 0.001), poorer ability to plan and look ahead (p < 0.001), and an ADHD diagnosis (p = 0.003) were significantly associated with a higher level of IABs. IABs were not significantly associated with severe depression, suicidality, or nonsuicidal self-injury (all p > 0.05). The results of this study indicated that multiple individual and social factors were associated with IABs in adolescents. IABs were not significantly associated with severe depression, suicidality, or nonsuicidal self-injury in adolescents.

Adolescent mental health and cardiorespiratory fitness: A comparison of two cohorts 12 years apart

The aim of the study was to compare the mental health and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) of adolescents in two cross-sectional cohorts, one measured in 2003 and the other in 2015, both at age 15 and across sexes. The study also sought to estimate the association between mental health and CRF in the two cohorts and examine the relationship between the level of CRF and mental health in each cohort overall and by sex. Data from 443 participants born in 1988 (228 males, 215 females) and 303 participants born in 1999 (126 males, 177 females) were analyzed. Mental health was assessed using self-reports of body image, self-esteem, and symptoms of depression and anxiety. CRF was estimated using a maximal cycle ergometer test. From 2003 to 2015, body image scores improved (p = .043), self-esteem remained stable, and CRF declined significantly (p < .001). No self-esteem differences were observed between sexes in any cohort. Males had higher CRF and body image scores than females in both cohorts (p < .001 for all comparisons). Higher CRF correlated with fewer depressive symptoms across sexes and cohorts. Specifically, higher CRF was associated with anxiety in females and improved body image in males (2003) and both sexes (2015). Increased CRF was linked to higher self-esteem in females but not in males. Overall, higher CRF levels were associated with better mental health outcomes for both sexes. These results highlight the potential of improving adolescent mental health through increased physical fitness.

Enhancing patient well-being in oncology waiting rooms: a pilot field experiment on the emotional impact of virtual forest therapy

Introduction

This study explores the emotional impact of virtual forest therapy delivered through audio-visual recordings shown to patients in the oncology waiting rooms, focusing on whether simulated forest walks can positively influence patients' emotional states compared to traditional waiting room stimuli.

Methods

The study involved 117 participants from a diverse group of oncology patients in the outpatient clinic waiting room at the Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute. Using a partially randomized controlled trial design, the study assessed basic emotional dimensions-valence and arousal-as well as specific psychological states such as thought control, sadness, anxiety, and pain. This assessment used the Self-Assessment Manikin and the modified Emotional Thermometer before and after participants watched three video types (forest, sea, news). Baseline stress levels were measured using the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6).

Results

Participants exposed to forest and sea videos reported significant improvements in emotional valence and reduced arousal, suggesting a calming and uplifting effect. No significant changes were observed in the control and news groups. Secondary outcomes related to anxiety, sadness, and pain showed no significant interaction effects, though small but significant main effects of time on these variables were noted.

Discussion

The findings suggest that videos of forest and sea can be a beneficial intervention in the oncology waiting rooms by enhancing patients' emotional well-being. This pilot study underscores the potential for integrating virtual mental health support elements into healthcare settings to improve patient care experience.

The use of information and communication technologies by adolescents living with a mental illness in the past 5 years: Scoping review

The use of information and communication technologies (ICT) is a huge part of adolescents' lives, especially by those living with a mental illness. However, very few studies explore their experience with the use of ICT and how it affects their health. The purpose of this study was to better understand the use of ICT by adolescents living with a mental illness. A scoping review was undertaken using Arksey and O'Malley's method to explore this understudied topic. The following databases were searched: Medline, CINAHL and Psychology and Behavioural Sciences Collection. Studies published between 2017 and 2022 were included. Data were analysed using a data extraction and an analysis grid developed by the research team. Of 1984 articles, only seven met the inclusion criteria. These articles allowed for a better understanding of the type of mental illness these young ICT users had, the type of ICT they use and their overall experience using ICT. The diagnoses most associated with the use of these ICT were suicidal ideation, depression, anxiety and eating illnesss. Types of ICT used were very diverse and adolescents had both positive and negative experiences using these ICT. Very few interventions using ICT were developed according to the needs of adolescents with mental illness. These adolescents often cope with the help of ICT and can have an overall positive experience. Their experience can also be negative as some of them were exposed to suicide-related and violent content. Future research is needed to better understand the best ICT interventions for these young people.

Adolescents' mental health in the social-media era: The role of offline and online need-based experiences

INTRODUCTION

Debate about the precise role of social media use (SMU) in the mental health of today's adolescents is still ongoing. The present study adds to the literature by focusing on adolescents' experiences during SMU and in their offline activities through the lens of basic psychological needs, which are central to self-determination theory.

METHODS

To examine the joint and supplementary effects of need-experiences in the offline and SMU domain (i.e., SMU satisfaction, offline satisfaction, SMU frustration, offline frustration) on several indicators of adolescents' mental health (i.e., vitality, life satisfaction, sleep quality, anxiety, and depression), polynomial regression analyses were used. Three cross-sectional samples were collected in Belgium, including early to mid-adolescents during the COVID-pandemic (Sample 1; N = 447; Mage = 14.26; 54.4% female) as well as postpandemic (Sample 2; N = 179, Mage = 15.25; 54.2% female), and among college students in postpandemic times (Sample 3; N = 4977; Mage = 20.72; 69.1% female).

RESULTS

The results showed that need-experiences common to both domains were a robust factor associated with mental health. This finding was obtained across all samples and outcomes, with need satisfaction playing a beneficial and need frustration a harmful role. We further found that offline need-experiences serve as a more crucial predictor of adolescents' mental health than need experiences on social media.

CONCLUSIONS

Adolescents' experiences of need satisfaction and need frustration on social media and in offline activities are central to their mental health. However, only relying on SMU as a single source of need satisfaction may not be recommended, given that offline experiences seem to be more decisive.

Annual Research Review: Sex, gender, and internalizing conditions among adolescents in the 21st century - trends, causes, consequences

Internalizing conditions of psychopathology include depressive and anxiety disorders; they most often onset in adolescence, are relatively common, and contribute to significant population morbidity and mortality. In this research review, we present the evidence that internalizing conditions, including depression and anxiety, as well as psychological distress, suicidal thoughts and self-harm, and fatal suicide, are considerably increasing in adolescent populations across many countries. Evidence indicates that increases are currently greatest in female adolescents. We present an epidemiological framework for evaluating the causes of these increases, and synthesize research on whether several established risk factors (e.g., age of pubertal transition and stressful life events) and novel risk factors (e.g., digital technology and social media) meet conditions necessary to be plausible causes of increases in adolescent internalizing conditions. We conclude that there are a multitude of potential causes of increases in adolescent internalizing conditions, outline evidence gaps including the lack of research on nonbinary and gender nonconforming populations, and recommend necessary prevention and intervention foci from a clinical and public health perspective.

Are social pressure, bullying and low social support associated with depressive symptoms, self-harm and self-directed violence among adolescents? A cross-sectional study using a structural equation modeling approach

BACKGROUND

More in-depth evidence about the complex relationships between different risk factors and mental health among adolescents has been warranted. Thus, the aim of the study was to examine the direct and indirect effects of experiencing social pressure, bullying, and low social support on mental health problems in adolescence.

METHODS

A school-based cross-sectional study was conducted in 2022 among 15 823 Norwegian adolescents, aged 13-19 years. Structural Equation Modelling was used to assess the relationships between socioeconomic status, social pressure, bullying, social support, depressive symptoms, self-harm and suicide thoughts.

RESULTS

Poor family economy and low parental education were associated with high pressure, low parental support and depressive symptoms in males and females. Moreover, poor family economy was associated with bullying perpetration and bullying victimization among males and females, and cyberbullying victimization among females, but not males. Low parental education was associated with bullying victimization among males, but not females. Further, high social pressure was associated with depressive symptoms among males and females, whereas high social pressure was linked to self-harm and suicide thoughts among females, but not males. Bullying victimization and cyberbullying victimization were associated with depressive symptoms, self-harm, and suicide thoughts among males and females. Bullying victimization was associated with depressive symptoms among males, but not females, whereas bullying perpetration was linked to self-harm and suicide thoughts among females, but not males. Low parental support was associated with bullying perpetration, bullying victimization, depressive symptoms, self-harm and suicide thoughts among males and females, whereas low parental support was associated with high social pressure among females, but not males. Low teacher support was associated with high social pressure and depressive symptoms. Low support from friends was associated with bullying victimization, depressive symptoms and suicide thoughts among males and females, whereas low support from friends was linked to self-harm among males, but not females. Finally, results showed that depressive symptoms were associated with self-harm and suicide thoughts among males and females.

CONCLUSION

Low socioeconomic status, social pressure, bullying and low social support were directly and indirectly associated with depressive symptoms and self-directed violence among Norwegian adolescents.

How social is social media for transgender and gender-diverse youth? Association of online social experiences with internalizing mental health problems

Adolescents spend a critical amount of their free time on the Internet and social media. Transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) adolescents, who report elevated rates of mental health issues, especially internalizing problems, have both positive and negative online social experiences (e.g., support and cyberbullying). This can have both beneficial and/or harmful effects on their mental health. Given the lack of research, the present study examined TGD adolescents' online (social) experiences and the association of positive and negative online social experiences with internalizing problems. The sample consisted of n = 165 TGD adolescents (11-18 years) diagnosed with gender dysphoria who attended a Gender Identity Service for children and adolescents (Hamburg GIS) in Germany between January 2020 and December 2022 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Positive (use of online support networks) and negative online social experiences (cyberbullying or other adverse online interactions) were assessed using study-specific items and internalizing problems using the Youth Self-Report. Frequencies of various online (social) experiences were analyzed, and a multiple linear regression analysis was performed to test their association with internalizing problems. In total, 42% of participants reported positive online social experiences (use of online support networks) and 51% of participants reported negative online social experiences (cyberbullying or other adverse online interactions). There was no significant association between negative online social experiences and internalizing problems but between positive online social experiences and more internalizing problems (adjusted R2 = .01). TGD adolescents may seek online support, especially when struggling with mental health problems. Therefore, it is crucial to support youth navigating these online spaces more safely and positively and to empower them to buffer against potentially harmful experiences. Furthermore, strengthening offline relations with peers and family members is pivotal, given their importance for TGD adolescents' mental health.

The Need to Adapt the Psychiatric Clinical Assessment to the Digital Age: A Practical Approach

The use of electronic devices and social media is becoming a ubiquitous part of most people's lives. Although researchers are exploring the sequelae of such use, little attention has been given to the importance of digital media use in routine psychiatric assessments of patients. The nature of technology use is relevant to understanding a patient's lifestyle and activities, the same way that it is important to evaluate the patient's occupation, functioning, and general activities. The authors propose a framework for psychiatric inquiry into digital media use, emphasizing that such inquiry should focus on quality of use, including emotional and behavioral consequences, rather than simply the amount of use.

"Influencing the influencers:" a field experimental approach to promoting effective mental health communication on TikTok

A substantial body of social scientific research considers the negative mental health consequences of social media use on TikTok. Fewer, however, consider the potentially positive impact that mental health content creators ("influencers") on TikTok can have to improve health outcomes; including the degree to which the platform exposes users to evidence-based mental health communication. Our novel, influencer-led approach remedies this shortcoming by attempting to change TikTok creator content-producing behavior via a large, within-subject field experiment (N = 105 creators with a reach of over 16.9 million viewers; N = 3465 unique videos). Our randomly-assigned field intervention exposed influencers on the platform to either (a) asynchronous digital (.pdf) toolkits, or (b) both toolkits and synchronous virtual training sessions that aimed to promote effective evidence-based mental health communication (relative to a control condition, exposed to neither intervention). We find that creators treated with our asynchronous toolkits-and, in some cases, those also attending synchronous training sessions-were significantly more likely to (i) feature evidence-based mental health content in their videos and (ii) generate video content related to mental health issues. Moderation analyses further reveal that these effects are not limited to only those creators with followings under 2 million users. Importantly, we also document large system-level effects of exposure to our interventions; such that TikTok videos featuring evidence-based content received over half a million additional views in the post-intervention period in the study's treatment groups, while treatment group mental health content (in general) received over three million additional views. We conclude by discussing how simple, cost-effective, and influencer-led interventions like ours can be deployed at scale to influence mental health content on TikTok.

Debunking Mental Health Misperceptions in Short-Form Social Media Videos: An Experimental Test of Scientific Credibility Cues

In recent years, short-form social media videos have emerged as an important source of health-related advice. In this study, we investigate whether experts or ordinary users in such videos are more effective in debunking the common misperception that talking about suicide should be avoided. We also explore a new trend on TikTok and other platforms, in which users attempt to back up their arguments by displaying scientific articles in the background of their videos. To test the effect of source type (expert vs. ordinary user) and scientific references (present or absent), we conducted a 2 × 2 between-subject plus control group experiment (n = 956). In each condition, participants were shown a TikTok video that was approximately 30 seconds long. Our findings show that in all four treatment groups, participants reduced their misperceptions on the topic. The expert was rated as being more authoritative on the topic compared to the ordinary user. However, the expert was also rated as being less credible compared to the ordinary user. The inclusion of a scientific reference did not make a difference. Thus, both experts and ordinary users may be similarly persuasive in a short-form video environment.

'I tried to take my phone off my daughter, and i got hit in the face': a qualitative study of parents' challenges with adolescents' screen use and a toolbox of their tips

BACKGROUND

Concerns about adolescent screen use are often expressed but poorly understood, particularly in terms of how parents are supposed to respond in ways that balance safety, care and developing independence and autonomy. This qualitative study investigated parental perceptions and concerns about screen use of adolescents aged 13 to 17. Current strategies to manage screen use and barriers to doing so were explored, and parents were asked to outline recommended interventions for better outcomes.

METHODS

Interviews and focus groups were held with 33 adults in Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand (mean age 48 years) who were parenting adolescents (mean age 14 years). Interviews were transcribed verbatim, then inductive analysis and interpretation by the research team distilled the key ideas and illustrative quotes. A table of recommendations for a practical 'toolbox' was developed from these in-depth conversations.

RESULTS

Parents reported extensive use of screens by their adolescents, constantly throughout the day (and night, instead of sleeping). Four areas of specific concern included: (1) addict-like behavior, (2) exposure to harmful (and inane) content, (3) living in a virtual world, and (4) negative impacts on physical, mental, and cognitive wellbeing. To manage adolescent screen use, family rules and restrictions (on time and place) were common. Some used technical control via software or accessing the adolescent's devices and/or accounts to check for inappropriate content (such as pornography). Communication about device use and self-regulation were important. Barriers to managing screen use included trying to avoid conflict with their child; difficulties with consistency or follow-through on rules; lack of technical knowledge; parental screen use that set a bad example; and device use needed for school or other purposes. Recommendations from parents are presented in a toolbox of tips and techniques they shared, and their 'wish list' for better access to practical, local, scientific information, examples of techniques that have worked for other families, tools for problematic behavior and risk (including how to begin conversations with adolescents about their concerns), and having schools and young people involved in developing interventions to build digital citizenship.

CONCLUSIONS

Rich, nuanced accounts from parents about adolescent screen use in their families and communities underpinned their practical ideas for more skillful responses to young people grappling with an addictive digital existence.

An umbrella review of the benefits and risks associated with youths' interactions with electronic screens

The influence of electronic screens on the health of children and adolescents and their education is not well understood. In this prospectively registered umbrella review (PROSPERO identifier CRD42017076051 ), we harmonized effects from 102 meta-analyses (2,451 primary studies; 1,937,501 participants) of screen time and outcomes. In total, 43 effects from 32 meta-analyses met our criteria for statistical certainty. Meta-analyses of associations between screen use and outcomes showed small-to-moderate effects (range: r = -0.14 to 0.33). In education, results were mixed; for example, screen use was negatively associated with literacy (r = -0.14, 95% confidence interval (CI) = -0.20 to -0.09, P ≤ 0.001, k = 38, N = 18,318), but this effect was positive when parents watched with their children (r = 0.15, 95% CI = 0.02 to 0.28, P = 0.028, k = 12, N = 6,083). In health, we found evidence for several small negative associations; for example, social media was associated with depression (r = 0.12, 95% CI = 0.05 to 0.19, P ≤ 0.001, k = 12, N = 93,740). Limitations of our review include the limited number of studies for each outcome, medium-to-high risk of bias in 95 out of 102 included meta-analyses and high heterogeneity (17 out of 22 in education and 20 out of 21 in health with I2 > 50%). We recommend that caregivers and policymakers carefully weigh the evidence for potential harms and benefits of specific types of screen use.

Occupational experiences and their importance for young peoples' mental health

BACKGROUND

Young peoples' mental health challenges have increased in recent years to become an urgent public health issue. Research is required to gain a better understanding of how occupations influence young peoples' everyday lives and support their mental health.

AIM

How do young people experience engaging in various occupations in their daily lives, and how do these experiences shape their mental health?

METHOD

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 Norwegian young people aged 13-16 years. Verbatim transcriptions of the interviews were analysed using thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Four core themes emerged: 'doing' for balance and stability; self-discovery through doing; intentional doing to recharge and feel free; and reflecting on the consequences of doing social media.

CONCLUSIONS

Young peoples' occupational experiences shape their mental health in several ways: they serve as coping strategies, as a means to experience joy and accomplishment, and as a source of routines and opportunities for relaxation. We suggest that health-promoting initiatives for young people would strongly benefit from the inclusion of an occupational perspective.

Effects of smartphone-based hypnotic intervention for undergraduate students' shyness during the COVID-19 pandemic: A randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, university students have been exposed to a heightened vulnerability towards developing psychological issues, such as psychological distress and shyness. Internet-based interventions offer a convenient avenue for scalability, thus prompting the development of a smartphone-based hypnotic intervention aimed at addressing shyness among university students.

OBJECTIVE

We devised an innovative smartphone-based hypnotic intervention called mHypnosis to examine its impact on shyness among undergraduate students. Furthermore, we aimed to investigate whether the apprehension of negative evaluations before treatment could serve as a predictor for the effectiveness of the intervention on shyness.

METHODS

Eighty students with high shyness scores were randomly assigned to the experimental group and the control group. Another 40 participants with low shyness score were selected as the baseline group. The Shyness Scale (SS), Fear of Negative evaluation scale (FNE), Self-Acceptance Questionnaire (SAQ), and Self-Esteem Scale (SES) were used to evaluate the effect of hypnotic intervention.

RESULTS

Before the intervention, the scores of the experimental and control groups on the SS, FNE, SAQ, and SES were higher than those in the baseline group (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference in scores between the experimental and control group (p > 0.05). After the intervention, the scores of the SS, FNE, SAQ, and SES were significantly lower in the experimental group than those in the control group (p < 0.05). The pretest score of FNE could predict the shyness score after hypnotic intervention (B = 0.35, p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Smartphone-based hypnotic intervention had a significant effect on ameliorating shyness during the COVID-19 pandemic; fear of negative evaluation can be a target for treating shyness.

When the clock chimes: The impact of on-the-hour effects on user anxiety content generation in social media platforms

BACKGROUND

The growth of social media platforms has created a plethora of user-generated content, and social media has become an important channel of users to express their emotions. Although many studies have explored the influencing factors on user-generated content, there is an insufficient understanding the impact temporal cues on mental health content generation.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to explore how the on-the-hour time points affect users' anxiety content generation on social media platforms. Further, this study investigates the difference between weekdays and weekends, and the moderating effects of regional economic levels.

METHODS

We collected information on 2,543,902 user-generated anxiety-related posts from a leading social media platform in China. Then, we used fixed effect models to analyze the relationship between on-the-hour time points and user anxiety content generation.

RESULTS

The results show that on-the-hour time points affect user anxiety-related content generation, especially at the beginning of each hour (β = 894.564, p < 0.01). And the impact is greater on weekdays (β = 774.695, p < 0.01) than on weekends (β = 119.869, p < 0.01). Furthermore, regional economic moderates the impact, the better the economic condition, the greater the impact.

LIMITATIONS

Limitations include incomplete coverage of patient types and a single anxiety dictionary.

CONCLUSIONS

This study uncovers the relationship between temporal cues and user-generated anxiety content, providing new insights into the mental illness observation, and provides insights for mental health services providers and designers of online social platforms.

Social Media and Youth Mental Health

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

We review recent evidence regarding the relationship between the social media (SM) habits, experiences, and the mental health of youth. We examine effects of social media use (SMU) on specific diagnoses including depression and anxiety. The relationship between psychiatric illness, specific SM experiences, and the issue of SM mental health contagion is also explored.

RECENT FINDINGS

Youth engagement in SMU has increased dramatically in recent years, concurrent with increases in prevalence of depression and anxiety. The relationship between SMU and mental illness is complex and depends on characteristics of the user (e.g., social comparison and fear of missing out (FOMO) and their SM habits and experiences (e.g., cyberbullying, and sexting,). SM engagement has distinct impacts on anxiety, depression, and suicidality. Growing evidence documents how SM may be a medium for psychiatric contagion. Research findings are largely correlational and dependent on subjective report, limiting their interpretation. The mental health of youth is increasingly tied to their SMU, depending greatly on how youth engage with SM and resultant feedback. Future research must look to establish causality in relationships between SM and mental illness.

Reexploring Problematic Social Media Use and Its Relationship with Adolescent Mental Health. Findings from the "LifeOnSoMe"-Study

Purpose

Previous approaches used to assess problematic social media use risk inflating prevalence numbers and classifying unproblematic social media use as problematic. The main aim of this study was to take an exploratory view as to how different types of activities, experiences, and motivations on social media are associated with problematic mental health outcomes in adolescents.

Patients and Methods

This study is based on a cross-sectional survey of 2023 adolescents (mean age 17.4 years (SD 0.9), 44.4% males) from the year 2020. Exploratory graph analysis and exploratory factor analysis were performed on 28 pre-selected items assessing adolescents' use of social media, to identify underlying potentially problematic factors associated with social media use. Sets of gender-adjusted multiple linear regression analyses were performed to assess the degree to which social media factors predicted depression, anxiety, well-being, and time spent on social media.

Results

Three factors were identified: 1) "subjective overuse", 2) "social obligations", and 3) "source of concern". All three factors showed significant positive associations with mental health problems. The factor "source of concern", which identifies feelings of being overwhelmed and concerned over social media use, had the strongest association to mental health problems and simultaneously the weakest association to time spent on social media.

Conclusion

Three identified factors measuring problematic social media use showed positive associations with mental health problems. This lends support to the notion that problematic social media use is a multidimensional phenomenon and demonstrates the need to move beyond addiction criteria when assessing problematic social media use.

Addressing the Increasing Mental Health Distress and Mental Illness Among Young Adults in the United States

ABSTRACT

Recent surveys show rising numbers of young people who report anxiety and depression. Although much attention has focused on mental health of adolescent youth, less attention has been paid to young people as they transition into adulthood. Multiple factors may have contributed to this steady increase: greater exposure to social media, information, and distressing news via personal electronic devices; increased concerns regarding social determinants of health and climate change; and changing social norms due to increased mental health literacy and reduced stigma. The COVID-19 pandemic may have temporarily exacerbated symptoms and impacted treatment availability. Strategies to mitigate causal factors for depression and anxiety in young adults may include education and skills training for cognitive, behavioral, and social coping strategies, as well as healthier use of technology and social media. Policies must support the availability of health insurance and treatment, and clinicians can adapt interventions to encompass the specific concerns and needs of young adults.

Current evidence and opportunities in child and adolescent public mental health: a research review

BACKGROUND

A public mental health lens is increasingly required to better understand the complex and multifactorial influences of interpersonal, community and institutional systems on the mental health of children and adolescents.

METHODS

This research review (1) provides an overview of public mental health and proposes a new interactional schema that can guide research and practice, (2) summarises recent evidence on public mental health interventions for children and adolescents, (3) highlights current challenges for this population that might benefit from additional attention and (4) discusses methodological and conceptual hurdles and proposes potential solutions.

RESULTS

In our evidence review, a broad range of universal, selective and indicated interventions with a variety of targets, mechanisms and settings were identified, some of which (most notably parenting programmes and various school-based interventions) have demonstrated small-to-modest positive effects. Few, however, have achieved sustained mental health improvements.

CONCLUSIONS

There is an opportunity to re-think how public mental health interventions are designed, evaluated and implemented. Deliberate design, encompassing careful consideration of the aims and population-level impacts of interventions, complemented by measurement that embraces complexity through more in-depth characterisation, or 'phenotyping', of interpersonal and environmental elements is needed. Opportunities to improve child and adolescent mental health outcomes are gaining unprecedented momentum. Innovative new methodology, heightened public awareness, institutional interest and supportive funding can enable enhanced study of public mental health that does not shy away from complexity.

Social Media Use and Youth Mental Health: Intervention-Focused Future Directions

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

The purpose of this review is to highlight the challenges related to the study of the relationship between social media use and youth mental health and propose a path forward in intervention-focused research.

RECENT FINDINGS

Recent findings relay the need to conceptualize the effects of social media use on youth mental health in a nuanced way. Unique, discrete social media experiences may either contribute to an individual's well-being, ill-being, or both. Social media use may contribute to well-being for one person, but ill-being for another. Similarly, social media use may contribute to well-being for one person at one point in their life but then contribute to ill-being at a different point in their life. As such, it is difficult to make broad overarching conclusions about this incredibly nuanced relationship. Intervention-focused research include authors' plans to create a social media single session intervention (SSI) designed to promote insight about social media's effects on well- or ill-being, as well as self-efficacy and knowledge to make changes to social media use.

Adolescents and Social Media: Longitudinal Links Between Types of Use, Problematic Use and Internalizing Symptoms

Studies examining the associations between adolescent social media use and depression/anxiety symptoms show inconsistent results and do not elucidate the direction of associations. Differences in how studies operationalize social media use and consider potential moderating effects of sex and extraversion could contribute to inconsistencies. A distinction has been made between three types of social media use: passive, active and problematic. This study examined longitudinal associations between these types of adolescents' social media use and depression/anxiety symptoms and moderation effects of sex or extraversion. At ages 13 (T1) and 14 (T2), 257 adolescents completed an online questionnaire regarding their depression and anxiety symptoms and problematic social media use as well as three social media use diaries. Cross-lagged panel modeling (CLPM) revealed a positive association between problematic use and later anxiety symptoms (β = .16, p = .010). Extraversion moderated the association between active use and anxiety (β = -.14, p = .032). Specifically, active use predicted higher subsequent anxiety symptoms only in adolescents with low to moderate levels of extraversion. No sex moderation was found. While social media use (active or problematic) predicted later anxiety symptoms (but not depression), the reverse was not the case. However, highly extraverted individuals seem to be less vulnerable to potential negative effects of social media use.

A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial of a Primary Care Provider-Delivered Social Media Counseling Intervention

PURPOSE

Evidence and clinical policy support that providers screen and counsel for media use for youth, but most pediatricians lack this training. The purpose of this study was to test a primary care provider (PCP)-delivered intervention to promote safe social media use among youth.

METHODS

We enrolled pediatric PCP practices for this clinical trial to test a social media counseling intervention (SMCI) between 2011 and 2013. Youth were recruited during clinic visits; follow-up interviews were conducted at 6 months. Outcomes included media behaviors and caregiver communication. Multivariate regression models examined associations between social media counseling and PCP counseling score. Multivariate logistic regression evaluated four social media behavior outcomes.

RESULTS

A total of 120 practices enrolled; PCPs in the SMCI were more likely to provide social media counseling (B = 1.43, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.1-1.7). Youth whose PCP received the SMCI were twice as likely to report a decrease in online "friending" of strangers (adjusted odds ratio = 2.23, 95% CI 1.17-4.25) and were more likely to report communication with their caregivers about their social media use (adjusted odds ratio = 1.2; 95% CI: 1.1-1.4) compared to youth whose PCPs were in the active control group.

DISCUSSION

Youth whose PCP had received social media counseling training reported a higher receipt of counseling about social media and improved safety behaviors.

Risks of passive use of social network sites in youth athletes: a moderated mediation analysis

Background

With the popularity of social media platforms, the use of social networks challenges the well-being and mental health of athletes.

Motivation

Despite ongoing scholarly discussions about the effects of passive use of social network sites, few studies have examined the relationship between the passive use of social network sites and mental health in young athletes from a social comparison perspective.

Hypothesis

To address this research gap, we draw on the social comparison and developmental systems theories to explore the mediating effect of upward social comparison on passive social network site use and mental health, as well as the moderating effects of positive psychological capital.

Methods

We analyzed data about 350 young athletes from professional Chinese sports universities.

Results

As predicted, passive use of social network sites by young athletes increased anxiety (β = 0.26, p < 0.001) and decreased subjective well-being (β = -0.35, p < 0.001). Upward social comparisons had positive (β = 0.22, p < 0.001) and negative (β = -0.34, p < 0.001) mediating effects in passive social network site use and anxiety/subjective well-being. Positive psychological capital played a moderating effect between upward social comparison and anxiety (β = -0.28, p < 0.001), and subjective well-being (β = 0.24, p < 0.001); the moderated mediation effect was also supported.

Conclusion

Our study informs the current research by highlighting the importance of upward social comparison as a critical mechanism and positive psychological capital as a boundary condition. We suggest actively maintaining and enhancing positive psychological capital to mitigate the adverse effects of upward social comparison.

The Significance of Digital Citizenship and Gender in the Relationship between Social Media Usage Time and Self-Esteem among Adolescents: A Secondary Analysis

This study examined the significance of digital citizenship and gender in the relationship between social media usage time and self-esteem among adolescents. This cross-sectional study was a secondary analysis using national data on 506 Korean adolescents acquired from the 2020 Korea Media Panel Survey. The data were analyzed using SPSS 23.0 and SPSS PROCESS macro. We found that the moderated moderating effects of digital citizenship and gender on the relationship between social media usage time and self-esteem were significant. Both boys and girls had higher self-esteem in groups with higher digital citizenship than in groups with lower digital citizenship. The relationship between social media usage time and self-esteem for boys was positive in the high digital citizenship group and negative in the low digital citizenship group. Conversely, for girls, the relationship between social media usage time and self-esteem was positive in the low digital citizenship group and negative in the high digital citizenship group. It is important to take a differentiated approach that considers the relationship between digital citizenship and gender to promote healthy digital media use and positive self-esteem.

Lack of Sample Diversity in Research on Adolescent Depression and Social Media Use: A Scoping Review and Meta-Analysis

Research on whether social media use relates to adolescent depression is rapidly increasing. However, is it adequately representing the diversity of global adolescent populations? We conducted a preregistered scoping review (research published between 2018 and 2020; 34 articles) to investigate the proportion of studies recruiting samples from the Global North versus Global South and assess whether the association between social media and depression varies depending on the population being studied. Sample diversity was lacking between regions: More than 70% of studies examined Global North populations. The link between social media and depression was positive and significant in the Global North but null and nonsignificant in the Global South. There was also little evidence of diversity within regions in both sampling choices and reporting of participants' demographics. Given that most adolescents live in the Global South and sample diversity is crucial for the generalizability of research findings, urgent action is needed to address these oversights.

Neural sensitivity to social reward predicts links between social behavior and loneliness in youth during the COVID-19 pandemic

Neural reward network sensitivity in youth is proposed to differentially impact the effects of social environments on social outcomes. The COVID-19 pandemic provided an opportunity to test this hypothesis within a context of diminished in-person social interaction. We examined whether neural sensitivity to interactive social reward moderates the relationship between a frequency of interactive or passive social activity and social satisfaction. Survey reports of frequency of interactions with friends, passive social media use, and loneliness and social satisfaction were gathered in 2020 during mandated precautions limiting in-person contact. A subset of participants (age = 10-17) previously participated in a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study examining social-interactive reward during a simulated peer interaction (survey n = 76; survey + fMRI n = 40). We found evidence of differential response to social context, such that youth with higher neural reward sensitivity showed a negative association between a frequency of interactive connections with friends and a combined loneliness and social dissatisfaction component (LSDC) score, whereas those with lower sensitivity showed the opposite effect. Further, high reward sensitivity was associated with greater LSDC as passive social media use increased, whereas low reward sensitivity showed the opposite. This indicates that youth with greater sensitivity to social-interactive reward may be more susceptible to negative effects of infrequent contact than their low reward-sensitive counterparts, who instead maintain social well-being through passive viewing of social content. These differential outcomes could have implications for supporting youth during times of major social disruption as well as ensuring mental health and well-being more broadly.

Enhanced recovery nursing and mental health education on postoperative recovery and mental health of laparoscopic liver resection

BACKGROUND

Patients undergoing laparoscopic resection of liver metastases of colorectal cancer are prone to negative emotions and decrease of digestive function. Early nursing and psychological intervention are necessary.

AIM

To observe the effect of enhanced recovery nursing combined with mental health education on postoperative recovery and mental health of patients undergoing laparoscopic resection of liver metastases of colorectal cancer.

METHODS

One hundred and twenty patients who underwent laparoscopic resection of liver metastases of colorectal cancer at our hospital between March 2021 and March 2023, were selected as participants. The patients admitted from March 1, 2021 to February 28, 2022 were set as the control group, and they were given routine nursing combined with mental health education intervention. While the patients admitted from March 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023 were set as the observation group, they were given accelerated rehabilitation surgical nursing combined with mental health education intervention. The differences in postoperative recovery-related indices, complications and pain degrees, and mental health-related scores were compared between groups. The T lymphocyte subset levels of the two groups were also compared.

RESULTS

The postoperative exhaust, defecation, eating and drainage time of the observation group were shorter than those of the control group. The pain scores of the observation group were lower than those of the control group at 6, 12, 24, 48, and 72 h after surgery. The cumulative complication rate of the observation group was lower than that of the control group (P < 0.05). The CD4+/CD8+ in the observation group was higher than that in the control group 3 d after surgery (P < 0.05). After intervention, the self-rating depression scale, self-rating anxiety scale, avoidance dimension, and yielding dimension in Medical coping style (MCMQ) scores of the two groups were lower than those prior to intervention, and the scores in the observation group were lower than those in the control group (P < 0.05). The face dimension score in the MCMQ score was higher than that before intervention, and that of the observation group was higher than that of the control group (P < 0.05). After intervention, the total scores of the life function index scale (FLIC) and psychological well-being scores of cancer patients in the two groups, and the physical and social well-being scores in the observation group, were higher than those before intervention. The nursing satisfaction of the observation group was higher than that of the control group (P < 0.05). The physical, psychological, and social well-being, and the total FLIC scores of the observation group were higher than those in the control group after surgery (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Enhanced recovery nursing combined with mental health education can promote the recovery of gastrointestinal function, improve the mental health and quality of life of patients after laparoscopic resection of colorectal cancer liver metastases, and reduce the incidence of complications.

Adolescents and Trust in Online Social Interactions: A Qualitative Exploratory Study

Social media have become increasingly embedded in adolescents' daily lives. Although these contexts have been widely studied, how trust in online relationships is built among adolescents is still an unexplored issue. By adopting the theoretical socio-cognitive model of trust, this study aims to explore the components of online trust as far as today's teenagers are concerned. The study involved 10 adolescents aged between 12 and 18 (M = 15.5). The data were collected using individual semi-structured, audio-recorded, and faithfully transcribed interviews. A deductive-inductive content analysis carried out with the NVivo10 software was performed on the textual material. Results show that adolescents seem to be aware of online trust value in "selecting" peers to be trusted. To protect themselves from the risks they are exposed to, they choose to interact with peers/friends who are already known in real life or are similar to them in terms of interests, ways of thinking, passions, and age. Additionally, others' competencies and willingness play an important role in adolescents' evaluations and decisions to rely on others online. The results of this study could be useful for developing awareness-raising interventions on the risks that adolescents are exposed to in order to promote "safe" relationships of trust and emphasize the possible positive use of technologies (e.g., by building online trust relationships using peer "safe" models).

Social media as a bridge and a window: The changing relationship of adolescents with social media and digital platforms

Social media use became central to adolescents' lives and development during the COVID-19 pandemic, with some adolescents first initiating social media use in this period. The unique circumstances of the pandemic contributed to changing patterns of social media use among teens and popularity of features. The pandemic also facilitated use and engagement with social media to strengthen social connection, emerging identities, and access to information and resources. It also impacted teens' online experiences and exposure to broader societal problems on SM. Recent research, with a focus in the United States, is presented on how the pandemic has shaped adolescents' experiences with social media in meaningful ways across development. We argue that research on adolescent social media use needs to consider how the COVID-19 pandemic has shaped the use and influence of social media in adolescents today.

A Systematic Review of the Association of Internet Gaming Disorder and Excessive Social Media Use With Psychiatric Comorbidities in Children and Adolescents: Is It a Curse or a Blessing?

Internet gaming and social media usage (SMU), particularly among children and teenagers, have witnessed a remarkable surge over the past decade. However, it remains uncertain whether this widespread usage has a positive or negative impact. The primary objective of this systematic review was to investigate the diverse effects of excessive video game playing and extensive SMU, both favorable and detrimental, on the psychological and mental well-being of children and adolescents. To assess the influence of internet gaming disorder (IGD) and disordered SMU on the mental health of children aged 6-12 years and adolescents aged 13-18 years, we conducted a systematic review of 20 studies on the subject. These studies utilized a substantial sample size of 48,652 participants, encompassing online and in-person questionnaires administered to children, teenagers, and their parents in educational institutions, healthcare facilities, and online platforms. Our findings suggest that multiple factors contribute to the intricate relationship between SMU, video game playing, and mental health outcomes. The majority of research indicates that excessive gaming or SMU among children and teenagers leads to adverse consequences on their mental well-being. Furthermore, certain studies have even reported fatal consequences, while others have identified a worsening of preexisting mental health issues. A few studies have explored the potential positive impacts of SMU and gaming on individuals and society at large. In light of this, we have concluded that it is inappropriate to categorize internet gaming and SMU as solely beneficial or detrimental without considering the broader context and the interplay of various factors.

Time Spent on Mobile Apps Matters: A Latent Class Analysis of Patterns of Smartphone Use among Adolescents

The aims of the present study are: (1) to determine classes of adolescents with homogeneous patterns of smartphone or social media use; and (2) to examine the level of distress across the empirically derived profiles. Three hundred and forty adolescents (Mage = 15.61, SD = 1.19; 38.2% females) participated in a cross-sectional survey. Participants provided objective trace data on time spent on smartphones and applications, as well as self-reported social media addiction, social media use intensity, online social comparison, emotion dysregulation, and psychological distress. Latent class analysis (LCA) with total smartphone use categorized participants into three classes. Participants in Class 3 (19%) showed a more impaired functioning profile, with a tendency towards social media addiction and greater levels of distress. LCAs with the amount of time devoted to specific applications are more heterogeneous, and results showed that heavy use of social media apps was not consistently connected to the most impaired psychosocial profiles. Although the amount of mobile screen time can be a characteristic of problematic users, the link between social media usage and an adolescent's psychological characteristics is mixed. More research is needed to explore the interplay between mobile screen time and social media usage among adolescents.

Peer Connectedness and Social Technology Use During COVID-19 Lockdown

During the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, adolescents relied on social technology for social connection. Although some research suggests small, negative effects for quantity of social technology use on adolescent mental health, the quality of the interaction may be more important. We conducted a daily diary study in a risk-enriched sample of girls under COVID-19 lockdown to investigate associations between daily social technology use, peer closeness, and emotional health. For 10 days, 93 girls (ages 12-17) completed an online daily diary (88% compliance) assessing positive affect, symptoms of anxiety and depression, peer closeness, and daily time texting, video-chatting and using social media. Multilevel fixed effects models with Bayesian estimation were conducted. At the within-person level, more daily time texting or video-chatting with peers was associated with feeling closer to peers that day, which was associated with more positive affect and fewer depressive and anxiety symptoms that day. At the between-person level, more time video-chatting with peers across the 10 days was indirectly associated with higher average positive affect during lockdown and less depression seven-months later, via higher mean closeness with peers. Social media use was not associated with emotional health at the within- or between-person levels. Messaging and video-chatting technologies are important tools for maintaining peer connectedness during social isolation, with beneficial effects on emotional health.

Adolescent Perception of Mental Health: It's Not Only about Oneself, It's about Others Too

Adolescents are at an increased risk of mental health problems due to the natural processes of development and maturation. Given that their mental health is mainly assessed by adults and not by the adolescents themselves, the purpose of this study is to reveal adolescents' perceptions of mental health. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted, and an inductive qualitative approach with thematic analysis was used. The qualitative study consisted of 19 adolescents aged 11-17 years. Five themes were identified: (1) What does mental health mean to you? (subthemes: realm of emotions, customary behavior, and relationships with others); (2) needs (subthemes: communication and support, self-expression and freedom of decision-making, and a safe and personal environment); (3) risk factors (subthemes: un-healthy relationships and social media dangers); (4) red flags (subthemes: self-exclusion from social life and self-destructive behavior); and (5) role of mental health professionals (subthemes: attentiveness to and proper pace for adolescent and acceptance of adolescent's life in its entirety). This study revealed that adolescents view their mental health not only from their own emotional and behavioral perspectives but also through the prism of relationships with other people.

HEXACO Personality Factors and their Associations with Facebook use and Facebook Network Characteristics

Personality factors affect the properties of 'offline' social networks, but how they are associated with the structural properties of online networks is still unclear. We investigated how the six HEXACO personality factors (Honesty-Humility, Emotionality, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness and Openness to Experience) relate to Facebook use and three objectively measured Facebook network characteristics - network size, density, and number of clusters. Participants (n = 107, mean age = 20.6, 66% female) extracted their Facebook networks using the GetNet app, completed the 60-item HEXACO questionnaire and the Facebook Usage Questionnaire. Users high in Openness to Experience spent less time on Facebook. Extraversion was positively associated with network size (number of Facebook Friends). These findings suggest that some personality factors are associated with Facebook use and the size of Facebook networks, and that personality is an important influence on both online and offline sociality.

Social Media in the Context of the Personal Social Media Ecosystem Framework-Advancing a Flexible and Systematic Basis for Observing Health Correlates Over Time

This Viewpoint reviews the central contributions of the Personal Social Media Ecosystem Framework and outlines how the framework can help advance understanding of social media effects among youths as an ongoing public health challenge.