Background
The relationship between social media use (SMU) and adolescent mental health continues to garner considerable attention, yet findings remain inconsistent and contradictory. This umbrella review aims to synthesize recent evidence on this topic and explore whether inconsistencies may be due to inadequate statistical power.
Methods
A systematic literature review of peer-reviewed reviews and meta-analyses published between 2021 and 2025 was conducted across PubMed, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and Scopus. Eligible reviews and meta-analyses focused on SMU and mental health among adolescents, defined as individuals aged 10–24 years. Study-level power analyses were conducted using reported effect sizes from eligible meta-analyses.
Results
Seventy-two reviews met the inclusion criteria, including 20 meta-analyses, 25 systematic reviews, 16 narrative reviews, and 11 scoping reviews. Across reviews, general SMU showed weak and inconsistent associations with both well-being and ill-being, while problematic SMU was consistently linked to ill-being. Seventeen meta-analyses provided 1070 effect estimates from 452 empirical studies for power analyses. Studies examining ill-being and problematic SMU demonstrated consistent negative associations and high statistical power, with all meta-analyses reaching a median study-level power above 99%. In contrast, only 4 out of the 15 meta-analyses using general SMU reached a median study-level power above 80%. Across well-being outcomes, only 4 meta-analyses reached median study-level power above 80%.
Conclusion
Mixed findings in the literature may stem from limited statistical power rather than an absence of real effects, especially in studies of general SMU and well-being. Conceptual precision and adequately powered research are essential for advancing the field.