Keywords
Emotion Regulation
Mental Health
Early Adulthood
Literature Review
How to Cite
Abstract
Social media use has become an essential part of early adulthood and presents complex implications for mental health. Social media can provide benefits such as social support and increased connectedness; however, it also has the potential to contribute to psychological stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms. Emotion regulation is a key psychological mechanism that influences how social media use affects mental health outcomes. This article aims to comprehensively review the relationship between social media use, emotion regulation, and mental health among early adults through a literature review. This study employed a literature review method with a narrative synthesis approach of 10 scientific articles published between 2015 and 2025. Articles were retrieved from Google Scholar, ResearchGate, and ScienceDirect, with inclusion criteria focusing on studies that examined social media use, emotion regulation, and/or mental health among early adults aged 18–34 years. The synthesis process involved grouping and comparing findings based on major themes, including patterns of social media use, emotion regulation strategies, and psychological mechanisms mediating mental health outcomes. The findings indicate that social media use does not directly determine mental health conditions but influences them through mechanisms such as maladaptive emotion regulation, social comparison, perceived stress, and fear of missing out (FoMO). These results highlight the importance of strengthening emotion regulation abilities and promoting mindful social media use among early adults to support mental well-being.
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