SOCIAL MEDIA USE IN ATHLETES: A NARRATIVE REVIEW OF PERFORMANCE-RELATED BENEFITS AND RISKS

Anna Debniak; Jakub Bialozyt; Patryk Modelewski; Maciej  Gutarowicz; Kaja Nieradka; Krystyna  Klahs; Weronika Wagner; Maciej Muraszko-Kuźma; Patryk Twardy; Michał Armatys

doi:10.31435/ijitss.2(50).2026.5788

Authors

Anna Debniak University Clinical Hospital No. 2, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, Szczecin, Poland https://orcid.org/0009-0009-8511-3912
Jakub Bialozyt University Clinical Hospital No. 2, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, Szczecin, Poland https://orcid.org/0009-0000-2721-6694
Patryk Modelewski University Clinical Hospital No. 2, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, Szczecin, Poland https://orcid.org/0009-0009-0682-4901
Maciej Gutarowicz Independent Public Provincial Hospital in Szczecin, Szczecin, Poland https://orcid.org/0009-0003-5139-3756
Kaja Nieradka Clinical Provincial Hospital of Saint Jadwiga the Queen in Rzeszów, Rzeszów, Poland https://orcid.org/0009-0009-4373-3726
Krystyna Klahs Independent Public Specialist Health Care Facility in Lębork, Lębork, Poland https://orcid.org/0009-0001-7747-6854
Weronika Wagner Clinical Provincial Hospital of Saint Jadwiga the Queen in Rzeszów, Rzeszów, Poland https://orcid.org/0009-0001-0269-0418
Maciej Muraszko-Kuźma District Hospital in Limanowa of the Name of Divine Mercy, Limanowa, Poland https://orcid.org/0009-0003-4812-1493
Patryk Twardy Clinical Provincial Hospital of Saint Jadwiga the Queen in Rzeszów, Rzeszów, Poland https://orcid.org/0009-0009-5510-3545
Michał Armatys UNO-MED Medical Center, Tarnów, Poland https://orcid.org/0009-0003-9647-8091

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31435/ijitss.2(50).2026.5788

Keywords:

Social Media; Athletic Performance; Mental Health; Sleep; Nutrition; Physical Activity

Abstract

Purpose: Social media is now a routine part of athletes’ informational, commercial and interpersonal environment, but its implications for performance are heterogeneous. This narrative review evaluates how social media may affect performance-related determinants in athletes — including nutrition, sleep, mental health, physical activity and recovery-related behaviours — rather than competitive outcomes directly.

Materials and methods: Targeted literature searches were conducted in PubMed, Google Scholar and publisher databases, supplemented by reference checking. Priority was given to reviews, meta-analyses, consensus statements and athlete-specific studies published up to 6 May 2026.

Results: Social media may support education, motivation, social support and personal-brand development. However, problematic or poorly regulated use may expose athletes to misinformation, social comparison, cyberaggression, body-image pressure, sleep disruption, mental fatigue and sedentary displacement. The strongest evidence concerns associations rather than direct causation, and athlete-specific longitudinal data remain limited.

Conclusions: Social media should be treated as a modifiable environmental factor in sport. Controlled, purposeful use, digital literacy, source verification and sleep-protective routines are preferable to either uncritical adoption or simple prohibition.

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