Social Media Use and Depression and Anxiety in Adolescents: A Global Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Background: Social media use among young people has risen sharply, and concern about its relationship to mental health is widespread. The evidence base remains heterogeneous in effect size, measurement, and design. Objective: To estimate the association between social media use and depressive and anxiety symptoms among adolescents and young adults, and to test whether the two differ. Methods: Four databases were searched from January 2010 to April 2021. Eligible studies reported a quantitative association between a social media exposure and a validated depression or anxiety measure. Stress subscales were not treated as anxiety outcomes. Effect sizes were pooled as Pearson correlations using random-effects models. Results: The pooled association with depressive symptoms was r = 0.263 (95% CI: 0.200-0.324; k = 10; N = 5,774; I² = 83.9%), prediction interval 0.031-0.468. For anxiety it was r = 0.363 (95% CI: 0.265-0.453; k = 7; N = 5,286; I² = 93.3%), prediction interval −0.009-0.646. A paired comparison across the five samples contributing to both outcomes found no difference (p = .77). Mean sample age predicted the depression association (b = 0.045 per year; p = .023) and accounted for almost all heterogeneity. Restricting to samples with mean age below 19 reduced the depression estimate to r = 0.196. Conclusions: Social media use is positively associated with depressive and anxiety symptoms, at a small-to-moderate magnitude and with no detectable difference between outcomes. The anxiety prediction interval includes zero, and the association is weaker in adolescent samples. The cross-sectional evidence precludes causal inference. Keywords: Social Media; Depression; Anxiety; Adolescents; Young Adults; Meta-Analysis; Internalizing Symptoms