The Impact of Social Media Use on Social Anxiety in Junior High School Students

Abstract

With the development of social media, the problems that previously cause people can’t use social media, such as the difficulty of using smart devices, and learning to use social media, gradually integrating into the daily lives of middle and high school. Social media’s possible effects on teenagers’ mental health, particularly social media, has become an increasingly concerned issue among educators and researchers. This review aims to systematically synthesize and evaluate existing research to clarify the relationship between adolescents’ social media use and social anxiety. The research findings from the literature primarily focus on three themes. First, the impact of social media is not uniform but largely depends on the usage patterns. Passive use, such as aimlessly scrolling through videos, is more strongly correlated with increased levels of social anxiety compared to active participation. Second, key psychological mechanisms, such as upward social comparison, significantly drive this relationship, linking social media use to reduced self-esteem and heightened concerns about others’ evaluations. Third, individual differences, such as personality traits and self-esteem levels, act as moderating factors, amplifying or reducing the extent to which adolescents are affected. In summary, this review suggests that guiding adolescents to adopt healthier social media usage patterns is more important than simply restricting their social media use.