Social Media and Youth Mental Health: Assessing the Impact Through Current and Novel Digital Phenotyping Methods

Purpose of Review: The effect of social media use on youth mental health is a primary public concern. Despite extensive research on the topic, social media use’s impact on adolescent mental health remains unclear with study results often contradicting each other. This narrative review examines recent literature on the relationship between social media use and youth mental health, highlights disparities in study results, and offers a novel approach for future research. Recent Findings: Three conclusions were drawn from our review. First, contrasting usage patterns may affect mental health outcomes. Second, social media use may impact social comparison, social displacement, social stimulation, and self-determination. Lastly, limits in research methodology inhibit our understanding of the relationship between screen time and youth mental health outcomes due to the over-reliance on self-report scales, heterogeneity in scale usage, and problematic analysis methods. Summary: The complexity of understanding the impact of social media use on youth mental health should not deter research. To advance methodology and elucidate outcomes, future studies should utilize the digital phenotyping approach. This approach uses objective data assessment from personal digital devices and allows researchers to better analyze the impact of social media use on youth mental health. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2024.