Abstract :

Background: Social media is a central part of adolescent life, yet its impact on mental health is highly variable.

Objective: To present a synthesized, three-layer framework explaining how individual traits, social environments, and digital behaviors interact to buffer or exacerbate the relationship between social media use and adolescent mental health.
Methods: We analyzed key findings from recent studies (2020-2025) identified via a systematic PubMed search, focusing on moderators such as personality, coping styles, social support, and digital literacy.

Results: An adolescent’s experience is shaped by three key layers: The Inner Self (personal traits and coping), the Social Environment (interpersonal support), and Digital Engagement (online skills and use patterns). Low self-esteem, maladaptive coping, lack of social support, low digital literacy, and younger age are key factors that increase vulnerability to negative outcomes from social media use.

Conclusion: The impact of social media is not uniform but conditional. Effective support requires targeted interventions that build self-esteem and coping skills, foster supportive communication, and teach critical digital literacy. This multi-layered approach can help teens navigate the digital world with greater resilience.

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Keywords :

Adolescents, Digital Literacy, Mental Health, moderators, parental support and social media.

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