''Social media have become an integral part of adolescents’ daily lives. From the moment they wake up, until the moment they go to bed, adolescents scroll through their social media feeds, watching endless streams of TikTok videos and Instagram posts. While social media offer ample opportunities for connection and self-expression, concerns exist that social media harm adolescents’ mental health. Worries abound that social media make adolescents feel anxious and depressed, crush their self-esteem, and leave them isolated and lonely.
While public worries persist that social media are bad for adolescents’ mental health, research provides a more nuanced perspective. The keynote lecture presents insights from different studies that try to unravel the complex links between social media and adolescents’ mental health. It will address the question why social media make some adolescents feel happy while leaving others feeling blue and shed light on individual differences in the effects of social media on various aspects of youth mental health.''
