The relationship between social media use and social isolation in young adults: a systematic review

Liu, Y; Pradhan, S; Wang, X

The relationship between social media use and social isolation in young adults: a systematic review

Liu, Y Pradhan, S

Wang, X

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Publisher:: Taylor & Francis
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Information Communication & Society, ahead-of-print, (ahead-of-print), pp. 1-20

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Liu, Y
dc.contributor.author	Pradhan, S https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2188-5330
dc.contributor.author	Wang, X
dc.date.accessioned	2026-07-14T12:27:36Z
dc.date.available	2026-07-14T12:27:36Z
dc.identifier.citation	Information Communication & Society, ahead-of-print, (ahead-of-print), pp. 1-20
dc.identifier.issn	1369-118X
dc.identifier.issn	1468-4462
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/195662
dc.description.abstract	Social isolation has become a growing public health concern, with increasing attention to the potential role of social media in shaping social connection and disconnection. This systematic review synthesises 21 empirical studies published between 2000 and 2024 that examined associations between social media use and social isolation among young adults. Following the PRISMA guidelines, studies were selected from five databases: PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, EBSCOhost, and Google Scholar. Thematic analysis identified three major categories: (1) motivations and patterns of social media use, (2) Effects of Text-based and Visual Communication Channels, and (3) No Association Between Social Media and Social Isolation. While 15 studies reported a positive association between certain patterns of social media use and increased feelings of isolation, four identified potential benefits, and two found no significant relationships. Specifically, excessive or passive use without interaction was more commonly linked to negative outcomes, whereas purposeful and interactive use appeared to support social connection. Differences in platform specifics (e.g., text-based vs. image-based) and contextual variables such as the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to the variability of results. Most studies adopted cross-sectional designs and applied varied measurement tools, which may have influenced the consistency and comparability of results.
dc.language	en
dc.publisher	Taylor & Francis
dc.relation.ispartof	Information Communication & Society
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1080/1369118x.2026.2674934
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.subject	0806 Information Systems, 0807 Library and Information Studies, 2001 Communication and Media Studies
dc.subject.classification	Communication & Media Studies
dc.subject.classification	4609 Information systems
dc.subject.classification	4701 Communication and media studies
dc.title	The relationship between social media use and social isolation in young adults: a systematic review
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	ahead-of-print
utslib.for	0806 Information Systems
utslib.for	0807 Library and Information Studies
utslib.for	2001 Communication and Media Studies
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology/School of Civil, Environmental & Sociotechnical Engineering
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/UTS Groups
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/UTS Groups/Centre for Advanced Modelling and Geospatial lnformation Systems (CAMGIS)
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/UTS Groups/The Trustworthy Digital Society
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/UTS Groups/International Development Research Network
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*
dc.rights.license	This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.date.updated	2026-07-14T12:27:34Z
pubs.issue	ahead-of-print
pubs.publication-status	Published online
pubs.volume	ahead-of-print
utslib.citation.issue	ahead-of-print

Abstract:

Social isolation has become a growing public health concern, with increasing attention to the potential role of social media in shaping social connection and disconnection. This systematic review synthesises 21 empirical studies published between 2000 and 2024 that examined associations between social media use and social isolation among young adults. Following the PRISMA guidelines, studies were selected from five databases: PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, EBSCOhost, and Google Scholar. Thematic analysis identified three major categories: (1) motivations and patterns of social media use, (2) Effects of Text-based and Visual Communication Channels, and (3) No Association Between Social Media and Social Isolation. While 15 studies reported a positive association between certain patterns of social media use and increased feelings of isolation, four identified potential benefits, and two found no significant relationships. Specifically, excessive or passive use without interaction was more commonly linked to negative outcomes, whereas purposeful and interactive use appeared to support social connection. Differences in platform specifics (e.g., text-based vs. image-based) and contextual variables such as the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to the variability of results. Most studies adopted cross-sectional designs and applied varied measurement tools, which may have influenced the consistency and comparability of results.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/195662