In an article published in the journal Nature Reviews Psychology , researchers in Germany and the United Kingdom described the mechanisms through which social media might influence behavioral, cognitive, and neurobiological changes in adolescents, which in turn increases mental health vulnerability. Image Credit: Kaspars Grinvalds / Shutterstock Adolescence is associated with many behavioral, cognitive, and neurobiological changes that help adolescents emerge from familial dependence and establish themselves as independent individuals in society. These developmental changes can potentially increase the vulnerability of adolescents to various mental health conditions, including anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, eating disorders, and mood disorders.
The use of social media has increased exponentially among adolescents in recent years. Recent estimates indicate that 95% of 15-year-olds in the UK use social media, while 50% of 13-17-year-olds in the US report being virtually constantly online. A growing pool of evidence indicates that social media can potentially influence developmental changes in adolescents and can put them in vulnerable positions to develop various mental health disorders.
The authors have focused on two behavioral mechanisms that may influence social media's impact on adolescents' mental health. Risky posting behavior Adolescents are often engaged in more risky behaviors than adults because of uncontrolled sensation-seeking desires and lack .
