Social Media Platform Dependence: The Use Motivation and Anxiety of the Youth Group
Abstract
With the increasing popularity and the rise of digital technology, social media platforms have become an essential part of daily lives among young group. The impact of platforms on mental health has gradually become a focus of public concern. Existing studies have shown that there is a relationship between social media use and psychological problems such as anxiety. However, the definition of concept for evaluating is always only taking the time or the frequency of social media use as the measurement indicators. Based on this information, this essay takes youth group as the research object. It focuses on how social media platforms make young group dependent and anxious from the aspect of use motivation. It adopts qualitative research methods, collects the opinions of 10 young individuals through interview methods and analyzes the dialogues systematically. The research results show that emotion regulation, social identity, self-presentation and habitual use are the main 4 motivations for young group to use social media. By reinforcing different degrees of dependence, thus it influences the anxiety level. This essay holds the opinion that the anxiety of the youth group does not origin from the social media use itself, but from the dependent use and the jealous psychology.
References
- Cheong, H., & Park, J. S. (2015). How do consumers in the Web 2.0 era get information? Social media users' use of and reliance on traditional media. Journal of Marketing Analytics, 3(3), 135–146.
- Chalaby, J. K. (2023). The streaming industry and the platform economy: An analysis. Media, Culture & Society, 46(3), 552–571.
- McCashin, D., & Murphy, C. M. (2022). Using TikTok for public and youth mental health: A systematic review and content analysis. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 28(1), 279–306.
- Gingras, M. P., Brendgen, M., Beauchamp, M. H., Séguin, J. R., Tremblay, R. E., Côté, S. M., & Herba, C. M. (2023). Adolescents and social media: Longitudinal links between types of use, problematic use, and internalizing symptoms. Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology, 51, 1641–1655.
- Pazdur, M., Tutus, D., & Haag, A. C. (2025). Risk factors for problematic social media use in youth: A systematic review of longitudinal studies. Adolescent Research Review, 10, 237–253.
- Nayana, R. N., Rakesh, C., & Sudarsanan, S. (2025). Exploring the impact of social media on anxiety disorders in young adults: A cross-sectional study. Research Journal of Medical Sciences, 19, 386–392.
- Plaisime, M., Robertson-James, C., Mejia, L., Núñez, A., Wolf, J., & Reels, S. (2020). Social media and teens: A needs assessment exploring the potential role of social media in promoting health. Social Media + Society, 6(1).
- Meynadier, J., Malouff, J. M., Schutte, N. S., Loi, N. M., & Griffiths, M. D. (2025). Relationships between social media addiction, social media use metacognitions, depression, anxiety, fear of missing out, loneliness, and mindfulness. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction.
- Karunarathne, E., Wijesundara, W., Athukorala, A., & Chithrananda, K. (2025). Role of social media dependency and online reputation in instituting stress among social media users. Asian Education and Development Studies, 14(2), 283–298.
- Petropoulos Petalas, D., Konijn, E. A., Johnson, B. K., Veldhuis, J., Bij de Vaate, N. A. J. D., Burgers, C., Droog, E., Międzobrodzka, E., Balint, K. E., & van de Schoot, R. (2021). Plurality in the measurement of social media use and mental health: An exploratory study among adolescents and young adults. Social Media + Society, 7(3).
- Dorrestein, M., Nutley, S. B., & Thorell, L. B. (2025). Screen time, addictive use of social media, motives for social media use, and social media content: Interrelations and associations with psychosocial problems. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction.