Potential of social media in promoting mental health in adolescents

Abstract

The growing prevalence of adolescent mental disorders poses significant challenges for education and healthcare systems globally. Providers are therefore keen to identify effective ways of promoting positive mental health. This aim of this qualitative study was to explore perceptions that social media might be leveraged for the purposes of mental health promotion amongst adolescents aged between 11 and 18 years. Utilizing focus groups conducted with adolescents (N = 54), educational professionals (N = 16) and mental health practitioners (N = 8). We explored their views about the value of social media for this purpose. Three themes were identified. First, social media appears to have potential to promote positive mental health. Second, adolescents frequently utilize social media and the internet to seek information about mental health. Finally, there are benefits and challenges to using social media in this way. We conclude that despite challenges of using social media and the risks, social media does offer a useful way of educating and reaching adolescents to promote mental wellbeing.

A future for the world's children? A WHO–UNICEF–Lancet Commission

“…Social media is a potentially accessible, inexpensive way to have conversations about mental health, including to promote healthseeking and reduce isolation. 281 Online friends can be an important source of social support for LGBT, queer or questioning, and intersex youth, and a growing amount of literature suggests that the internet can be a safe haven for some young people belonging to sexual minorities. 282 For families of children with disabilities and illnesses like cerebral palsy, social media can provide a platform for emotional support and forming connections, sharing information and advice, and learning about services, 283 but the quality of information is variable.…”

Social Media Use and Its Connection to Mental Health: A Systematic Review

“…Of the 16 selected research papers, there were a research focus on adults, gender, and preadolescents [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19]. In the design, there were qualitative and quantitative studies [15,16].…”

“…Another study revealed that depression and time spent on Facebook by adolescents are positively correlated [22]. More importantly, symptoms of major depression have been found among the individuals who spent most of their time in online activities and performing image management on social networking sites [14].…”

“…On the other hand, social theories found how social media use affects mental health by influencing how people view, maintain, and interact with their social network [13]. A number of studies have been conducted on the impacts of social media, and it has been indicated that the prolonged use of social media platforms such as Facebook may be related to negative signs and symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress [10][11][12][13][14][15]. Furthermore, social media can create a lot of pressure to create the stereotype that others want to see and also being as popular as others.…”

Supporting youth 12–24 during the COVID-19 pandemic: how Foundry is mobilizing to provide information, resources and hope across the province of British Columbia

“…In the pandemic context, and applicable to other issues, this is important to reduce the spread of misinformation ( 34 ). The changing role of social media in health promotion and its increasing usability is being recognized and applied, especially when delivering health promotion messages to large geographic areas when in-person initiatives are not feasible or possible ( 35 , 36 ). As health promoters continue to utilize social media for its advantageous qualities, such as the opportunity for widespread message dissemination in a short time period, more scholarly attention is needed to examine the drawbacks of such approaches.…”