Social Media Use, Social Interaction in Reality and Youth Health ——Empirical Analysis based on CGSS Data

Abstract

Health is the basis for the progress of social civilization. In today's era, social media is developing rapidly, and with its widespread popularity among youth groups, scholars have begun to worry about the impact of social media use on youth health. This article uses data from the 2017 China General Social Survey to explore the impact of social media use on youth health and the mediating effect of social interaction in reality. It was found that social media use significantly and positively increased youth social interaction in reality and health; youth social interaction in reality significantly and positively increased health; and social interaction in reality played a partially mediating role in the positive effect of social media use on youth health.