INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EVIDENCE-BASED MEDICINE
Review Article
Sep 28, 2026 54 37

Social Media Use and Depression and Anxiety in Adolescents: A Global Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

John Kelenna Iregbu 1 * ,
Hashim Iyiola Oyebamiji 2,
Daniel Obinna Eke 3 * ,
Heidi Heather Henry Heimbruch 3,
Samuel Z Kidane 4,
Uchenna Ugochukwu Ozoekwe 5
1 Clinical Support Department, School of Medicine, St George's University, Grenada2 Department of Sociology, University of Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria 3 Department of Nursing, Myrtle E. and Earl E. Walker College of Health Professions Maryville University of St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA4 Global Coordination Center MERQ Consultnacy, Baltimore, MD, USA 5 Department of Public Health, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria* Corresponding Author
International Journal of Evidence-Based Medicine, 1(3), 2026, jebm013, https://doi.org/10.63946/jebm/19455
Publication date: Sep 28, 2026
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ABSTRACT

Background: Social media use among young people has risen sharply, and concern about its relationship to mental health is widespread. The evidence base remains heterogeneous in effect size, measurement, and design.
Objective: To estimate the association between social media use and depressive and anxiety symptoms among adolescents and young adults, and to test whether the two differ.
Methods: Four databases were searched from January 2010 to April 2021. Eligible studies reported a quantitative association between a social media exposure and a validated depression or anxiety measure. Stress subscales were not treated as anxiety outcomes. Effect sizes were pooled as Pearson correlations using random-effects models.
Results: The pooled association with depressive symptoms was r = 0.263 (95% CI: 0.200-0.324; k = 10; N = 5,774; I² = 83.9%), prediction interval 0.031-0.468. For anxiety it was r = 0.363 (95% CI: 0.265-0.453; k = 7; N = 5,286; I² = 93.3%), prediction interval −0.009-0.646. A paired comparison across the five samples contributing to both outcomes found no difference (p = .77). Mean sample age predicted the depression association (b = 0.045 per year; p = .023) and accounted for almost all heterogeneity. Restricting to samples with mean age below 19 reduced the depression estimate to r = 0.196.
Conclusions: Social media use is positively associated with depressive and anxiety symptoms, at a small-to-moderate magnitude and with no detectable difference between outcomes. The anxiety prediction interval includes zero, and the association is weaker in adolescent samples. The cross-sectional evidence precludes causal inference.
Keywords: Social Media; Depression; Anxiety; Adolescents; Young Adults; Meta-Analysis; Internalizing Symptoms

KEYWORDS

Social Media Depression Anxiety Adolescents Young Adults Meta-Analysis Internalizing Symptoms

CITATION (Vancouver)

Iregbu JK, Oyebamiji HI, Eke DO, Henry Heimbruch HH, Kidane SZ, Ozoekwe UU. Social Media Use and Depression and Anxiety in Adolescents: A Global Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. International Journal of Evidence-Based Medicine. 2026;1(3):jebm013. https://doi.org/10.63946/jebm/19455
APA
Iregbu, J. K., Oyebamiji, H. I., Eke, D. O., Henry Heimbruch, H. H., Kidane, S. Z., & Ozoekwe, U. U. (2026). Social Media Use and Depression and Anxiety in Adolescents: A Global Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. International Journal of Evidence-Based Medicine, 1(3), jebm013. https://doi.org/10.63946/jebm/19455
Harvard
Iregbu, J. K., Oyebamiji, H. I., Eke, D. O., Henry Heimbruch, H. H., Kidane, S. Z., and Ozoekwe, U. U. (2026). Social Media Use and Depression and Anxiety in Adolescents: A Global Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. International Journal of Evidence-Based Medicine, 1(3), jebm013. https://doi.org/10.63946/jebm/19455
AMA
Iregbu JK, Oyebamiji HI, Eke DO, Henry Heimbruch HH, Kidane SZ, Ozoekwe UU. Social Media Use and Depression and Anxiety in Adolescents: A Global Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. International Journal of Evidence-Based Medicine. 2026;1(3), jebm013. https://doi.org/10.63946/jebm/19455
Chicago
Iregbu, John Kelenna, Hashim Iyiola Oyebamiji, Daniel Obinna Eke, Heidi Heather Henry Heimbruch, Samuel Z Kidane, and Uchenna Ugochukwu Ozoekwe. "Social Media Use and Depression and Anxiety in Adolescents: A Global Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis". International Journal of Evidence-Based Medicine 2026 1 no. 3 (2026): jebm013. https://doi.org/10.63946/jebm/19455
MLA
Iregbu, John Kelenna et al. "Social Media Use and Depression and Anxiety in Adolescents: A Global Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis". International Journal of Evidence-Based Medicine, vol. 1, no. 3, 2026, jebm013. https://doi.org/10.63946/jebm/19455

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