DIFFERENTIAL EFFECTS OF SPECIFIC SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS (TIKTOK, INSTAGRAM, YOUTUBE) ON MENTAL HEALTH OUTCOMES IN ADOLESCENTS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31435/ijitss.3(51).2026.5871Keywords:
TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Adolescents, Mental Health, Body ImageAbstract
Background. Social media use among children and adolescents has expanded rapidly over the past decade, but most empirical work has examined screen time as a single construct, ignoring meaningful differences between platforms.
Objective. This systematic review examined whether use of TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube is associated with distinct mental health outcomes in young people aged 6–18 years.
Methods. PubMed and Google Scholar were searched between January and March 2026 in line with the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Eligible records reported quantitative or qualitative data on at least one of the three platforms in relation to depression, anxiety, body image, self-esteem, problematic or addictive use, or general wellbeing. Methodological quality was rated with the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale for observational studies and AMSTAR-2 for evidence syntheses. Of 257 identified records, 32 met the inclusion criteria.
Results. TikTok use was the most consistently linked to harm: depressive and anxiety symptoms, problematic use, and body-image disturbance, with a particularly strong contribution from algorithmic content delivery. Instagram findings centred on appearance comparison, body dissatisfaction, and self-criticism, and these effects tracked content type more closely than time on the platform. YouTube produced a more heterogeneous picture, including improvements in mental health literacy alongside concerns about uneven information quality and exposure to body-related content such as mukbang videos.
Conclusion. Total time on social media is a poor proxy for risk. Platform design, content type, and algorithmic curation appear to drive distinct outcomes, and policy and clinical responses should be tailored accordingly.
References
Blackburn, M. R., & Hogg, R. C. (2024). #ForYou? The impact of pro-ana TikTok content on body image dissatisfaction and internalisation of societal beauty standards. PLOS ONE, 19(8), e0307597. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0307597
Bozzola, E., Spina, G., Agostiniani, R., Barni, S., Russo, R., Scarpato, E., Di Mauro, A., Di Stefano, A. V., Caruso, C., Corsello, G., & Staiano, A. (2022). The use of social media in children and adolescents: Scoping review on the potential risks. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(16), 9960. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19169960
Calvert, E., Cipriani, M., Dwyer, B., Lisowski, V., Mikkelson, J., Chen, K., Flathers, M., Hau, C., Xia, W., Castillo, J., Dhima, A., Ryan, S., & Torous, J. (2025). Social media detox and youth mental health. JAMA Network Open, 8(11), e2545245. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.45245
Cerit, M., Lee, A. Y., Hancock, J., Miner, A., Cho, M.-J., Muise, D., Garròn Torres, A.-A., Haber, N., Ram, N., Robinson, T. N., & Reeves, B. (2025). Person-specific analyses of smartphone use and mental health: Intensive longitudinal study. JMIR Formative Research, 9, e59875. https://doi.org/10.2196/59875
Chen, J., Yao, N., & Elhai, J. D. (2026). From active users to passive watchers: Profiles of TikTok engagement and mental health predictors. Addictive Behaviors, 173, 108552. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2025.108552
Conte, G., Di Iorio, G., Esposito, D., Romano, S., Panvino, F., Maggi, S., Altomonte, B., Casini, M. P., Ferrara, M., & Terrinoni, A. (2025). Scrolling through adolescence: A systematic review of the impact of TikTok on adolescent mental health. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 34(5), 1511–1527. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-024-02581-w
Copez-Lonzoy, A., Bazalar-Palacios, J., Mayo-Puchoc, N., Calderon De La Cruz, G., Cruz-Ausejo, L., Goicochea-Ríos, E., & Bazo-Alvarez, J. C. (2026). Interventions that use highly visual social media platforms to tackle unhealthy body image in adolescents and young adults: Systematic review of randomized controlled trials and quasi-experimental studies. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 28, e80141. https://doi.org/10.2196/80141
Coyne, S. M., Weinstein, E., Sheppard, J. A., James, S., Gale, M., Van Alfen, M., Ririe, N., Monson, C., Ashby, S., Weston, A., & Banks, K. (2023). Analysis of social media use, mental health, and gender identity among US youths. JAMA Network Open, 6(7), e2324389. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.24389
Du, Y., Wang, J., Wang, Z., Liu, J., Li, S., Lv, J., Peng, Y., Chang, S., Li, M., Liu, H., Liu, X., Yu, X., & Li, Y. (2024). Severity of inattention symptoms, experiences of being bullied, and school anxiety as mediators in the association between excessive short-form video viewing and school refusal behaviors in adolescents. Frontiers in Public Health, 12, 1450935. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1450935
Eirich, R., McArthur, B. A., Anhorn, C., McGuinness, C., Christakis, D. A., & Madigan, S. (2022). Association of screen time with internalizing and externalizing behavior problems in children 12 years or younger: A systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Psychiatry, 79(5), 393–405. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2022.0155
Gentzler, A. L., Hughes, J. L., Johnston, M., & Alderson, J. E. (2023). Which social media platforms matter and for whom? Examining moderators of links between adolescents’ social media use and depressive symptoms. Journal of Adolescence, 95(8), 1725–1748. https://doi.org/10.1002/jad.12243
Griffiths, S., Harris, E. A., Whitehead, G., Angelopoulos, F., Stone, B., Grey, W., & Dennis, S. (2024). Does TikTok contribute to eating disorders? A comparison of the TikTok algorithms belonging to individuals with eating disorders versus healthy controls. Body Image, 51, 101807. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2024.101807
Haque, S. (2026). TikTok and young adults: A decade of research on mental health, cognition, sleep, and social outcomes (2016–2025). Acta Psychologica, 263, 106216. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2026.106216
Jain, L., Velez, L., Karlapati, S., Forand, M., Kannali, R., Yousaf, R. A., Ahmed, R., Sarfraz, Z., Sutter, P. A., Tallo, C. A., & Ahmed, S. (2025). Exploring problematic TikTok use and mental health issues: A systematic review of empirical studies. Journal of Primary Care & Community Health, 16, 21501319251327303. https://doi.org/10.1177/21501319251327303
Jeong, H., Lee, E., & Han, G. (2024). Association between mukbang and cookbang viewing and body image perception and BMI in adolescents. Journal of Health, Population, and Nutrition, 43(1), 61. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41043-024-00552-0
Jones, C. N., Rudaizky, D., Mahalingham, T., & Clarke, P. J. F. (2024). Investigating the links between objective social media use, attentional control, and psychological distress. Social Science & Medicine, 361, 117400. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2024.117400
Karasavva, V., Miller, C., Groves, N., Montiel, A., Canu, W., & Mikami, A. (2025). A double-edged hashtag: Evaluation of #ADHD-related TikTok content and its associations with perceptions of ADHD. PLOS ONE, 20(3), e0319335. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0319335
Lau, N., Srinakarin, K., Aalfs, H., Zhao, X., & Palermo, T. M. (2025). TikTok and teen mental health: An analysis of user-generated content and engagement. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 50(1), 63–75. https://doi.org/10.1093/jpepsy/jsae039
Liu, L., Yang, J., Tan, F., Luo, H., Chen, Y., & Zhao, X. (2025). Web-based video platforms as sources of information on body image dissatisfaction in adolescents: Content and quality analysis of a cross-sectional study. JMIR Formative Research, 9, e71652. https://doi.org/10.2196/71652
McCashin, D., & Murphy, C. M. (2023). Using TikTok for public and youth mental health: A systematic review and content analysis. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 28(1), 279–306. https://doi.org/10.1177/13591045221106608
Nygård, T., & Lindfors, P. (2025). Promoting youth well-being: A qualitative study of Finnish YouTubers’ mental health content. Health Promotion International, 40(3), daaf074. https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/daaf074
Oppenheimer, S., Bond, L., & Smith, C. (2024). Social media does not elicit a physiological stress response as measured by heart rate and salivary cortisol over 20-minute sessions of cell phone use. PLOS ONE, 19(4), e0298553. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0298553
Papageorgiou, A., Fisher, C., & Cross, D. (2022). “Why don’t I look like her?” How adolescent girls view social media and its connection to body image. BMC Women’s Health, 22(1), 261. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12905-022-01845-4
Pop, L. M., Iorga, M., & Iurcov, R. (2022). Body-esteem, self-esteem and loneliness among social media young users. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(9), 5064. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19095064
Schröder, R., Hamer, T., Kruzewitz, V., Busch, E., Suhr, R., & König, L. (2025). Effects of YouTube health videos on mental health literacy in adolescents and teachers: Randomized controlled trial. JMIR Mental Health, 12, e76004. https://doi.org/10.2196/76004
Stiglic, N., & Viner, R. M. (2019). Effects of screentime on the health and well-being of children and adolescents: A systematic review of reviews. BMJ Open, 9(1), e023191. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2018-023191
Sursely, A. M., Baran, B., Bardhoshi, G., & Platt, J. M. (2026). Time out: A scoping review of non-duration based social media use measures and adolescent mental health. Journal of Adolescence, 98(3), 659–677. https://doi.org/10.1002/jad.70088
Turuba, R., Cormier, W., Zimmerman, R., Ow, N., Zenone, M., Quintana, Y., Jenkins, E., Ben-David, S., Raimundo, A., Marcon, A. R., Mathias, S., Henderson, J., & Barbic, S. (2024). Exploring how youth use TikTok for mental health information in British Columbia: Semistructured interview study with youth. JMIR Infodemiology, 4, e53233. https://doi.org/10.2196/53233
Varaona, A., Alvarez-Mon, M. A., Serrano-Garcia, I., Díaz-Marsá, M., Looi, J. C. L., & Molina-Ruiz, R. M. (2024). Exploring the relationship between Instagram use and self-criticism, self-compassion, and body dissatisfaction in the Spanish population: Observational study. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 26, e51957. https://doi.org/10.2196/51957
Wang, G., Kuang, J., Qi, Y., & Li, J. (2025). Information quality of videos related to adolescent depression on social media platforms: A comparative study of TikTok and BiliBili. Frontiers in Public Health, 13, 1663977. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1663977
Ye, J., Wu, Y., Sun, X., Zhu, S., Huang, Y., Liu, Q., & Zhou, Z. (2025). Excessive short-form video use is associated with increased risk-taking but not with altered ambiguity-based decision-making. BMC Psychology, 13(1), 1070. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-025-03417-1
Zink, J., Belcher, B. R., Imm, K., & Leventhal, A. M. (2020). The relationship between screen-based sedentary behaviors and symptoms of depression and anxiety in youth: A systematic review of moderating variables. BMC Public Health, 20(1), 472. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-020-08572-1
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Aleksandra Siegmund, Marzena Chrapczyńska, Agnieszka Filarecka, Piotr Przybyszewski, Emilia Przybyszewska, Julia Gatniejewska, Martyna Sienicka, Paulina Prudzic, Weronika Winiarska, Wiktoria Bełcikowska-Skowron
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
All articles are published in open-access and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). Hence, authors retain copyright to the content of the articles.
CC BY 4.0 License allows content to be copied, adapted, displayed, distributed, re-published or otherwise re-used for any purpose including for adaptation and commercial use provided the content is attributed.
How to Cite
