Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Research Briefing
  • Published:

Differences in social media use between adolescents with and without mental health conditions

We report differences in social media engagement between adolescents with and without a mental health condition, and also differences between those with internalizing and externalizing conditions. Differences include time spent on social media, online social comparison and the effect of social media feedback on mood.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

USD 39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Fig. 1: Differences in social media use between adolescents with and without mental health conditions.

References

  1. Orben, A., Meier, A., Dalgleish, T. & Blakemore, S. J. Mechanisms linking social media use to adolescent mental health vulnerability. Nat. Rev. Psychol. 3, 407–423 (2024). A review of adolescent social media use that discusses different types of engagement and the theoretical mechanisms that link them to mental health.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. McGorry, P. D. et al. The Lancet Psychiatry Commission on youth mental health. Lancet Psychiatry 11, 731–774 (2024). A commissioned review of the current state of the youth mental health crisis that highlights key statistics, theoretical frameworks and existing interventions.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Fassi, L. et al. Social media use and internalizing symptoms in clinical and community adolescent samples: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Pediatr. 178, 814–822 (2024). A review and meta-analysis that summarizes existing evidence on social media use and internalizing mental health, which shows the lack of research on adolescent clinical populations.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Chambers, C. D. & Tzavella, L. The past, present and future of registered reports. Nat. Hum. Behav. 6, 29–42 (2022). A review article that presents what registered reports are and the development of this new publication model.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Additional information

Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

This is a summary of: Fassi, L. et al. Social media use in adolescents with and without mental health conditions. Nat. Hum. Behav. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-025-02134-4 (2025).

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Differences in social media use between adolescents with and without mental health conditions. Nat Hum Behav 9, 1073–1074 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-025-02133-5

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Version of record:

  • Issue date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-025-02133-5

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing