Use Of Social Media and Its Impact on The Psychological Well-Being of Teen Girls

Junaid Tahir; Hassan  Iqbal; Asif Azeem Bajwa

doi:10.51253/pafmj.v76iSUPPL-7.13580

Authors

Junaid Tahir Department of Psychaitry, Combined Military Hospital, Mangla/National University of Medical Sciences (NUMS) Pakistan
Hassan Iqbal Department of Psychaitry, Combined Military Hospital, Skardu/National University of Medical Sciences (NUMS) Pakistan
Asif Azeem Bajwa Department of Psychaitry, Combined Military Hospital, Okara/National University of Medical Sciences (NUMS) Pakistan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.51253/pafmj.v76iSUPPL-7.13580

Keywords:

Anxiety, DASS-21, Depression, Mental Health, Social Media, Stress.

Abstract

Objective: To assess the pattern of social media usage among adolescent girls and determine its association with psychological well-being using a validated mental health screening tool.

Study Design: Cross-sectional descriptive study.

Place and Duration of Study: Combined Military Hospital, Okara, Pakistan, from Oct 24 to Mar 25.

Methodology: A total of 163 female students aged 13 to 19 years were included using convenience sampling. Data were collected via a self-administered questionnaire that included demographic information, Social Media Use (SMU) patterns, and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21). Descriptive statistics summarized baseline characteristics, and chi-square tests were applied to examine the association between SMU and mental health outcomes. Ethical approval was obtained from the relevant Institutional Review Board, and informed consent was secured.

Results: The mean age of participants was 16.19±2.15 years. Among them, 58.9% reported using social media, with TikTok being the most frequently used platform (19%). Overall, 62.6% of participants fell within the normal range for depression, 71.2% for anxiety, and 48.5% for stress. However, social media users demonstrated significantly higher rates of moderate to extremely severe depression (p=0.002) and stress (p=0.027) compared to non-users. TikTok users exhibited the highest prevalence of severe and extremely severe depression (23.8% and 50%, respectively) and stress (57.1%). No significant association was found between SMU and anxiety levels (p=0.961).

Conclusion: This study reveals a significant association between SMU-particularly TikTok—and increased levels of depression and stress among teenage girls.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

1. Sahoo P, Mishra M, Das SC. Social media impact on psychological well-being—A cross-sectional study among the adolescents of Odisha. J Family Med Prim Care 2024; 13: 859-863. https://doi.org/10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_325_23

2. Moreno MA, Radesky J. Putting forward a new narrative for adolescent media: The American Academy of Pediatrics Center of Excellence on Social Media and youth mental health. J Adolesc Health 2023; 73: 227-229.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2023.04.027

3. Göksu M, Arman AR, Gündoğdu Ü, Gümüştaş F. Social media use in adolescent girls with depression: The relationship between social media use purposes, lack of social support, and cyber victimization. Marmara Med J 2024; 37: 29-36.

https://doi.org/10.5472/marumj.1379988

4. Dharejo N, Alivi MA, Rahamad MS, Brony M. Effects of Social Media Use on Adolescent Psychological Well-Being: A Systematic Literature Review. Int J Interact Mob Technol 2023; 17(20): 171–191.

https://doi.org/10.3991/ijim.v17i20.44663

5. Vidal C, Lhaksampa T, Miller L, Platt R. Social media use and depression in adolescents: a scoping review. Int Rev Psychiatry 2020; 32(3): 235-253.

https://doi.org/10.1080/09540261.2020.1720623

6. Wilson S, Dumornay NM. Rising rates of adolescent depression in the United States: Challenges and opportunities in the 2020s. J Adolesc Health 2022; 70(3): 354-355.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2021.12.003

7. Twenge JM, Haidt J, Lozano J, Cummins KM. Specification curve analysis shows that social media use is linked to poor mental health, especially among girls. Acta Psychol 2022; 224: 103512. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2022.103512

8. Hartas D. The social context of adolescent mental health and wellbeing: Parents, friends and social media. Educ Res Pap 2021; 36(1): 1-19.

https://doi.org/10.1080/02671522.2019.1697734

9. Kleppang AL, Haugland SH, Bakken A, Stea TH. Lifestyle habits and depressive symptoms in Norwegian adolescents: a national cross-sectional study. BMC Public Health 2021; 21(1): 816.

https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-021-10846-1

10. Coyne SM, Rogers AA, Zurcher JD, Stockdale L, Booth M. Does time spent using social media impact mental health?: An eight-year longitudinal study. Computers Human Behavior 2020; 104: 106160. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2019.106160

11. Azhari A, Toms Z, Pavlopoulou G, Esposito G, Dimitriou D. Social media use in female adolescents: Associations with anxiety, loneliness, and sleep disturbances. Acta Psychologica 2022; 229: 103706.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2022.103706

12. Lovibond PF, Lovibond SH. The structure of negative emotional states: Comparison of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS) with the Beck Depression and Anxiety Inventories. Behav Res Ther 1995; 33(3): 335-343.

https://doi.org/10.1016/0005-7967(94)00075-u

13. Gu L, Gao X, Li Y. What drives me to use TikTok: A latent profile analysis of users’ motives. Front Psychol 2022; 13: 992824.

https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.992824

14. Conte G, Iorio GD, Esposito D, Romano S, Panvino F, Maggi S, et al. Scrolling through adolescence: a systematic review of the impact of TikTok on adolescent mental health. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2024: 34(5): 1511-1527.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-024-02581-w

15. Chao M, Lei J, He R, Jiang Y, Yang H. TikTok use and psychosocial factors among adolescents: Comparisons of non-users, moderate users, and addictive users. Psychiatry Res 2023; 325: 115247.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2023.115247

16. Azem L, Al Alwani R, Lucas A, Alsaadi B, Njihia G, Bibi B, et al. Social media use and depression in adolescents: A scoping review. Behav Sci 2023; 13(6): 475.

https://doi.org/10.3390/bs13060475

17. Liu M, Kamper-DeMarco KE, Zhang J, Xiao J, Dong D, Xue P. Time spent on social media and risk of depression in adolescents: a dose–response meta-analysis. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2022; 19(9): 5164.

https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19095164

18. Draženović M, Vukušić Rukavina T, Machala Poplašen L. Impact of Social Media Use on Mental Health within Adolescent and Student Populations during COVID-19 Pandemic: Review. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2023; 20(4): 3392.

https://doi:10.3390/ijerph20043392

19. Santos RMS, Mendes CG, Sen Bressani GY, de Alcantara Ventura S, de Almeida Nogueira YJ, de Miranda DM, et al. The associations between screen time and mental health in adolescents: a systematic review. BMC Psychol 2023; 11(1): 127.

https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-023-01166-7

20. Aryal N, Rajbhandari A. Social media use and anxiety levels among school adolescents: a cross-sectional study in Kathmandu, Nepal. BMJ Public Health 2024; 2: e000615.

https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjph-2023-000615

21. Thomas DR, George MA. Fear of Missing Out (FOMO), Emotional Distress, and Problematic Social Media Use (PSMU) among University Students. Indian J Psychiatr Soc Work 2025; 16(1): 14-22. https://doi.org/10.29120/ijpsw.2025.v16.i1.655

22. Kerr B, Garimella A, Pillarisetti L, Charlly N, Sullivan K, Moreno MA. Associations Between Social Media Use and Anxiety Among Adolescents: A Systematic Review Study. J Adolesc Health 2025; 76(1): 18-28.

https://doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2024.09.003

23. Bilali A, Katsiroumpa A, Koutelekos I, Dafogianni C, Gallos P, Moisoglou I, et al. Association Between TikTok Use and Anxiety, Depression, and Sleepiness Among Adolescents: A Cross-Sectional Study in Greece. Pediatr Rep 2025; 17(2): 34.

https://doi.org/10.3390/pediatric17020034