Influence of social media on mental health: a systematic review

Social media's role in a user's life has increased dramatically over the past decade. It is used increasingly as a leisure activity amongst young adults. The types of social media have also diversified with time and the ease of access is worrying. Aim of the current review is to find the effect of social media use on mental health.

Systematic search of articles was carried out from different database from 1991 to February 2020 across five databases. The PICO guidelines, PRISMA flow diagram and Rayyan software were used in identifying relevant studies which were assessed using the risk of bias. Cross-referencing was done with the co-authors. A total of 16 studies was finally included in the review. Social media role is far reaching both in terms of an individual's self-perception and mood but also on their social relationships. It is interesting to find its effect also in politics, organizations and even psychiatric illnesses. The 16 studies were divided into the positive, negative and neutral effects of social media.

Debate over social media's role on mental health will continue till a greater number of RCTs are conducted. Various variables amongst different age groups should be measured. It would also be beneficial if longitudinal research can be done.