Beyond the risks: exploring the positive influence of social media on adolescent mental health

The growing prevalence of digital technologies has highlighted the importance of understanding their role in influencing adolescents’ mental health, especially when a psychiatric disorder co-exists. While existing literature extensively discusses the negative effects of unsafe Social Media Use (SMU), there is a growing interest in exploring the positive aspects, as these have been highlighted after the social isolation enforced by the COVID-19 pandemic. This narrative review aims to critically and comprehensively examine the available literature on the potential benefits and positive effects of SMU among healthy adolescents or who carry psychiatric disorders or witnessed a traumatic experience. We explored relevant studies on SMU and the well-being of adolescents, both healthy and those with psychiatric disorders, drawing from major scientific databases as well as grey literature. As this work will highlight, positive outcomes related to SMU are emerging, alongside discussions on the possible integration of digital technologies into clinical care.