These seemingly contradictory findings may result from the diverse motivations, interactions, and experiences related to social media use

The gap

Evidence profile

Sourced from the stated research gap and stated challenges and future-work section and abstract of the source papers, classified as general, drawn from work published between 2024 and 2026, spanning 4 journals. Those papers have been cited 30 times in total.

Supporting evidence — 5 representative gaps

• Effects Of Social Media on the Mental Health of Women (2026) · International Journal of Economic Practices and Theories · doi

  The relationship between social media and mental health is complex, with both positive and negative outcomes being reported. There is a need to investigate how engagement with social media influences emotional well-being, with a particular focus on stress, anxiety, self-expression, and social support.

  generalstated research gapevidence 5/5
  Keywords: relationship between social media mental health complex both
• Hubungan Penggunaan Media Sosial dengan Tingkat Kecemasan Mahasiswa Palangka Raya serta Relevansinya terhadap Kebijakan Pelayanan Kesehatan Mental di Sektor Publik (2026) · Edutik : Jurnal Pendidikan Teknologi Informasi dan Komunikasi · doi

  The relationship between social media usage and anxiety levels is not yet fully understood. Prior studies have shown that social media usage can have negative impacts on mental health, but the mechanisms underlying this relationship are not yet clear. The study aims to contribute to the existing literature by examining the relationship between social media usage and anxiety levels in university students.

  generalstated research gapevidence 5/5
  Keywords: relationship between social media usage anxiety levels fully
• Our age of anxiety: fear, unease and worry (2026) · The British Journal of Psychiatry · doi

  The development of effective treatments for anxiety disorders. The need for early recognition and prompt intervention to prevent chronicity. The potential damaging effects on mental health of excessive engagement with social media platforms and the widespread loss of confidence in the veracity of information.

  generalstated challengesevidence 5/5
  Keywords: development effective treatments anxiety disorders need early recognition
• Hubungan Penggunaan Media Sosial dengan Tingkat Kecemasan Mahasiswa Palangka Raya serta Relevansinya terhadap Kebijakan Pelayanan Kesehatan Mental di Sektor Publik (2026) · Edutik : Jurnal Pendidikan Teknologi Informasi dan Komunikasi · doi

  Future studies should examine the longitudinal effects of social media usage on anxiety levels. Future studies should consider other factors that may influence the relationship between social media usage and anxiety levels, such as digital literacy and time management. Future studies should develop and test interventions aimed at mitigating the negative impacts of social media usage on mental health.

  generalfuture-work sectionevidence 4/5
  Keywords: future studies examine longitudinal effects social media usage
• Digital self-presentation and adolescent mental health: Cross-sectional and longitudinal insights from the “LifeOnSoMe”-study (2024) · BMC Public Health · cited 30× · doi

  These seemingly contradictory findings may result from the diverse motivations, interactions, and experiences related to social media use, and studies investigating specific facets of social media use in relation to mental health and well-being, beyond general usage metrics, have been called for.

  generalabstractevidence 4/5
  Keywords: social media seemingly contradictory result diverse motivations interactions experiences related investigating specific facets relation mental

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