Date of Graduation
5-2024
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science in Nursing
Degree Level
Undergraduate
Department
Nursing
Advisor/Mentor
Richardson, Emily
Committee Member
Hawley, Terria
Abstract
Background: With the first generation of adolescents being raised with seemingly unlimited access to social media, there is a clear need for research to determine the long-term mental health effects of social media use. Social media use can be categorized into two main categories — active use and passive use. Active use refers to a user posting content and engaging in the media they are viewing. Contrastingly, passive use refers to a user consuming social media content, without engaging in it in ways such as liking or commenting. The aim of this extended literature review was to answer the question “In adolescents, does active social media use or passive social media use have a greater impact on mental health?”
Methods: PRISMA guidelines were used to guide the research conducted in this review. Peer-reviewed, full text, English language articles were selected from MEDLINE and PubMed using One Search UARK. Key words used in the research process were “effects of social media on mental health,” “passive social media use,” “active social media use,” and “adolescents.” Articles were included if they (1) examined passive social media use or active social media use; (2) they analyzed the impact of social media use on mental health; and (3) were published between 2016-2023.
Results: Sixteen articles met inclusion criteria and were included in this review. Data was taken from these articles and then reviewed and synthesized into a table format. Overall, social media was associated with both positive and negative effects on mental health. Active social media use was found to increase feelings of belongingness and co-rumination. Passive social media use was found to increase the likelihood of comparison among peers, increase anxiety, and lead to negative self-image. A definitive difference between the effects of passive social media use and active social media use on adolescent mental health remains unclear.
Conclusions: Social media can affect mental health both negatively and positively. More research is needed to examine the mental health effects that social media has on today’s generation of adolescents to protect them from possible negative effects.
Keywords
Active social media use; passive social media use; adolescent mental health; impact of social media on mental health; adolescents and social media; active social media use compared to passive social media use
Citation
Underwood, L. (2024). Difference Between the Impact of Active Social Media Use and Passive Social Media Use on Adolescent Mental Health: An Expanded Literature Review. The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uark.edu/nursuht/211
