Social Media and Mental Health in Adolescents and Young Adults: A Systematic Review

The goal of our project is to increase understanding of the link between social media use and mental illness in teens and young adults. Our objective is to write a systematic review of the literature to answer the PICOT questions: (1) In teens and adults, younger than 25 years, what is the relationship between social media use and mental illness? (2) In teens and adults, younger than 25 years, what is the effect of interventions, such as social media as a resource, on mental health promotion and well-being? The motivation for our project comes from the increased use of social media and increased rates of mental health issues in the teen and young adult population. We are developing a systematic review to describe the relationships between social media use and mental health, as well as the use of social media as an intervention. The introduction, methods, and review of literature will be completed by May 2020. The remainder of the project will develop over the 2020-2021 school year and will be completed by May 2021. We will also complete a poster presentation through the University of Akron to present our findings