SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW: AN ANALYSIS OF THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA USE ON STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH

Abstract

The increasingly intensive use of social media among college students has given rise to various implications for mental health and academic aspects. This study aims to identify, analyze, and synthesize the impact of social media use on students' mental health and academic performance through the Systematic Literature Review (SLR) approach. Literature search in a scientific database that yielded 200 articles, then selected until 13 relevant articles were published in the range of 2020–2025 The results of the analysis showed that the mental health aspect was the dominant focus of research with a proportion of 62%, including anxiety, stress, depression, mental fatigue, psychological well-being, and self-esteem. Furthermore, 23% of articles discussed the impact of social media use on academic productivity and achievement, especially in the form of decreased study concentration, time management disruptions, and academic procrastination. Meanwhile, 15% of articles highlighted the role of moderation factors, such as digital literacy, online social support, and time management, which have been shown to weaken the negative impact of social media use. In addition to negative impacts, several studies have also revealed the positive potential of social media as a means of academic collaboration and social support if used in a targeted and adaptive manner. The findings of this study are expected to be the basis for the development of educational strategies and institutional policies in encouraging the healthy, productive, and sustainable use of social media among students.