Abstract
Social networks are ubiquitous in the lives of adolescents. This work systematically reviewed all studies which investigated the relationship between subjective well-being and the social networks of adolescents. Twenty-nine articles (out of 1,204 hits) were included within the review. Offline social networks have a positive association between the mood, self-esteem, and loneliness of adolescents but not body image. Nine of the studies investigating online social networks found a positive association on mood, life satisfaction, and loneliness through support seeking and receiving positive feedback. Fifteen of the studies found a negative association between online social networks and mood, self-esteem, life satisfaction, body image, and overall subjective well-being through high investment, passive use, receiving negative feedback, and social media ostracism. There is a need for intervention programs and education for young people, educators, and parents to address the risks to subjective well-being brought about by online social networks.
Highlights
The well-being of young people is a major concern in society
Like pennies dropped into a cookie jar, each of these encounters is a tiny investment in social capital” (p. 93)
Papers may have had population, outcome, and exposure terms present within their title, but did not meet the inclusion criteria upon inspection of the full text. Often this was because the paper did not investigate the relationship/association between offline social networks and/or online social networking sites and well-being
Summary
The well-being of young people is a major concern in society. Globally, depression is one of the leading causes of illness among adolescents and suicide is the third leading cause of death among 15 to 19 year olds (https:// www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/adolescent-mental-health); the incidences of mental ill health diagnosis and self-harm are increasing (Bentley et al, 2018). Substantial evidence has shown that support from our social networks is positively and causally related to mental health and well-being (Thoits, 2011) This is because we do not exist as unconnected individuals existing without ties but rather, we live in connection with others, strong or weak ties bind us to our families, neighbors, colleagues, and friends. It is these people that we spend time with, brush shoulders with and nod across the street to who make up our social network. 49 adults recorded their daily casual and close encounters with everyone they met to see what could be learnt about the spreading of infectious disease (Read et al, 2008)
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