The rise of social media, and its impact upon young people’s mental health, has become a hotly debated topic over the past few years. Combined with a fear about cyber bullying and an increase in young people self-harming, social media has become the latest focus of public concern for mental health.
This briefing paper offers a brief scan of the latest evidence on the impact of social media on young people’s wellbeing, both negative and positive. It seeks to understand what constitutes ‘problematic’ social media use, including addiction, jealousy and ‘fear of missing out’, as well as looking at how social media can positively impact on wellbeing.
