The Impact of Social Media Platforms on the Mental Health of Teenagers

Abstract

This study focuses on the impact of social media platforms on the mental health of 13-18-year-old teenagers, conducting an analysis by collecting survey data from 40 junior high schools and senior high schools in Shanghai. The study primarily examines the patterns of teenagers’ use of social media and explores the correlations between these patterns and self-reported psychological health issues such as anxiety and social comparison. The analysis results indicate that entertainment is the primary purpose for teenagers to use social media, and prolonged exposure to social media is significantly correlated with negative psychological effects. The study explains these results by combining the alternative behavior theory and the social comparison theory, objectively pointing out the positive effects of social media on teenagers while also clearly emphasizing the potential negative impacts. Finally, the study proposes recommendations: Educators and parents should not only pay attention to controlling the screen usage time of teenagers, but also focus on guiding their purposes and motivations for using social media. For future research, it is suggested to use larger-scale cross-cultural samples and employ longitudinal research methods to further deepen the understanding and comprehension of this topic.