Social media acts as a fundamental tool that young people deeply need but it brings both positive connections and learning opportunities alongside anxiety and fear of missing out (FoMO) and fear of negative evaluation (FNE). This study explores the relationship between social media use and anxiety with attention on the mediating roles of FoMO and FNE. A review of peer-reviewed literature in PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar was performed. Variables such as duration of use, engagement patterns and symptoms of FoMO/FNE were analyzed in the study, using thematic analysis to identify recurrent patterns. Long-term social media usage is powerfully associated with increased levels of anxiety, resulting from passive consumption, upward social comparisons, and compulsive behaviors. FoMO and FNE increase these effects further and a vicious cycle is created between anxiety and greater platform engagement. The research improves digital well-being investigations through process discovery of social media mental health mechanisms and the development of practical intervention methods. This research provides a new synthesis of psychological and behavioral perspectives on the way multi-platform social media use strengthens anxiety. It reveals neglected effects at the platform level and introduces a novel framework that relates digital behavioral cycles with mental health outcomes.
Kaushal Sikka (Sat,) studied this question.