BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL IMPACTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA – A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF ADVERSE DIMENSIONS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32782/2956-333X/2026-5-1Słowa kluczowe:
social media, adverse impacts, mental health, biopsychosocial model, cyberbullying, disinformation, digital well-being, digital literacy, educational institutionsAbstrakt
This article aims to provide a comprehensive systematic review of the negative dimensions of social media use, with a specific focus on integrated biopsychosocial health. Existing research remains highly fragmented across disciplines, and a synthesis capable of connecting these impacts within a coherent framework is currently absent. A systematically guided integrative review of the literature was conducted in accordance with the methodological frameworks of Torraco (2016) and Whittemore and Knafl (2005). The search was carried out across the Scopus, Web of Science, and PsycInfo databases for the period 2015–2026, employing a predefined combination of search terms. Inclusion criteria encompassed empirical and review studies published in English that explicitly addressed at least one adverse impact of social media. Thematic analysis of the included studies served to identify and categorise the principal domains of impact. The analysis identified five key, mutually interconnected domains of adverse impacts: (1) psychological and emotional effects, encompassing anxiety, depression, social comparison, and FOMO; (2) physical health consequences, particularly sedentary behaviour, sleep disturbances, and visual strain; (3) social and interpersonal risks, including cyberbullying, trolling, and the curtailment of offline contact; (4) informational and cognitive threats, such as the proliferation of disinformation and information overload; and (5) safety-related and socioeconomic impacts, comprising privacy violations, online fraud, and work-study conflict. The findings confirm that the adverse impacts of social media are complex, mutually contingent, and permeate all dimensions of human health. The biopsychosocial perspective reveals the reciprocal reinforcement among individual domains, whereby contextual factors – most notably the mode of use (active versus passive) and individual vulnerability – fundamentally modulate the resulting impact. The conclusions underscore the imperative for targeted intervenations, the cultivation of digital literacy, and a systemic institutional response at the level of educational establishments.
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