Mental Health in School

Mental Health in School

The impact of using virtual social networks on students' mental health

Document Type : Original Article

Author
School education instructor
10.22034/jmhs.2025.530111.1145
Abstract
The rapid growth of digital technologies in recent decades, especially social networks, has fundamentally transformed the communication, educational, and recreational patterns of adolescents. This study, focusing on high school students, examines the impact of extensive use of platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, Telegram, and WhatsApp on their mental health. Global and local findings indicate that excessive use of social media is significantly associated with increased symptoms of anxiety, depression, feelings of isolation, academic failure, sleep disorders, and decreased self-esteem in adolescents. Considering the sensitive characteristics of adolescence in the formation of identity and the development of interpersonal skills, monitoring and managing social media use is of particular importance.This study, utilizing modern research literature and field evidence, analyzes the psychosocial consequences of using social networks and provides practical suggestions for preventive and supportive interventions at the family and school levels.
Keywords

Subjects


Ahmadi, J., et al. (2016). Social Questionnaire for Social Networks on Mobile Phones. [Persian]
Alizadeh Firuzeh, Khodabandeh Levy, Shirin and Khodabandeh Levy, Nasrin. (2014). Study of the effect of media literacy on the harms of adaptation, psychology and belief of mobile social networks in adolescents. The Third National Conference on Psychological and Educational Updates. [Persian]
Bakhshaesh, M, Yuzi, A. (2012). "Investigating the Harms of Cyberspace and Social Networks on the Mental and Psychological Health of Students during the Summer". The Second International Conference on Jurisprudence, Law, Psychology and Educational Sciences in Iran and the Islamic World. [Persian]
Choukas-Bradley, S., Nesi, J., Widman, L., & Galla, B. M. (2022). The perfect storm: A developmental–social media model of adolescent mental health. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 25 (4), 681–701. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10567-022-00401-8
Conger, R. D., Conger, K. J., & Martin, M. J. (2010). Socioeconomic status, family processes, and individual development. Journal of Marriage and Family, 72 (3), 685–704. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2010.00725.x
Festinger, L. (1954). A theory of social comparison processes. Human Relations, 7 (2), 117–140. https://doi.org/10.1177/001872675400700202
Hamidani, Tahereh and Ahmadnejad Ali. (2019). Investigating the Effect of Cyberspace Harms on the Mental Health of Virtual Students. National Conference on Professional Research in Psychology and Counseling with Specialized Skills in Educational and Behavioral Sciences "From the Teacher's Perspective". [Persian]
Jahanbani, A. (2018). Questionnaire on Social Networks and Media. Iranian Management Research Group. [Persian]
Keles, B., McCrae, N., & Grealish, A. (2020). A systematic review: the influence of social media on depression, anxiety and psychological distress in adolescents. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 25 (1), 79-93. https://doi.org/10.1080/02673843.2019.1590851
Latifi, Ruhganiz and Sang Sefidi (2014) "Investigating the destructive effects of cyberspace on adolescents and the managerial role of parents". Journal of Modern Scientific Studies in the Humanities in the World. 3 (2): 89-81. [Persian]
Mousavi, Yadollah. (2019). Scientific concepts of the Internet and the status of the use of virtual social networks among Iranian adolescents and youth in 2018. Journal of Military Medicine. 22 (3): 288-281. [Persian]
Rahmani, M., Mousavi, Z., and Karimi, N. (2013). Investigating the Relationship Between the Use of Social Networks and the Mental Health of High School Students. Quarterly Journal of Adolescent Psychology and Health, 10(2): 55-73. [Persian]
Rezapour, Ali. (2019). Study of social harms on adolescent health by examining the role of virtual networks. The Fourth International Conference on Health, Treatment and Health Promotion. [Persian]
Steele, J. R., & Brown, J. D. (1995). Adolescent room culture: Studying media in the context of everyday life. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 24 (5), 551–576. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01537056
Twenge, J. M., Haidt, J., Blake, A. B., McAllister, C., & Lemon, H. (2023). Worldwide increases in adolescent loneliness. Journal of Adolescence, 97 (1), 13-27. https://doi.org/10.1002/jad.12166
World Health Organization. (2022). Adolescent mental health. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/adolescent-mental-health.