Author(s):
Sabreen Hanif*, Habiba Zarnisha, Ramsha Ateeq
Corresponding Author: sabreenqureshi626@gmail.com

Abstract:

Social media has reshaped how youth form identities, evaluate social status, and experience belonging, with potential consequences for mental health. Syntheses show consistent associations between problematic or maladaptive social media engagement and adverse outcomes such as depressive symptoms, anxiety, loneliness, sleep disruption, and body image related. Concurrently, research on identity development in digital contexts emphasizes that online environments can enable exploration, authenticity work, and community-based support, especially among marginalized youth. This report presents a complete mixed-methods research paper model exploring the psychological impact of social media on youth identity formation and mental health. Because no original dataset was provided, the study’s empirical section is explicitly presented as a simulated but plausible demonstration consistent with published findings. Assumptions include an N = 800 stratified survey sample (ages 13–24) and 30 qualitative interviews. Measures include depressive symptoms (PHQ-9), self-esteem (Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale), identity exploration/clarity, problematic social media use, upward social comparison, and active/passive engagement patterns. Analyses include descriptive statistics, correlations, multiple regression, mediation analysis, and thematic analysis. Simulated results indicate that heavier daily use and passive engagement correlate with higher depressive symptoms and anxiety and lower self-esteem, with upward comparisons partially mediating associations between passive use and reduced well-being. Identity outcomes show a dual pattern: active, relational engagement relates to higher identity exploration and perceived belonging, while intensified appearance ideals and feedback-contingent self-presentation relate to identity distress and body dissatisfaction. Implications emphasize identity-centered digital literacy, supportive family practices, sleep-oriented risk reduction, and platform design accountability.

Keywords:
Adolescents, emerging adulthood, social media, identity formation, mental health, social comparison, self-presentation, problematic use, body image

Acceptance Date:
September 09, 2025

Copyright (c) 2025 Sabreen Hanif, Habiba Zarnisha, Ramsha Ateeq. Published by Falcons Journal of Advanced Research (FJAR).

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0) .