The Impact of Internet and Social Media Use on Young People's Mental Health

The digital era has had a tremendous influence on adolescents and young people. People no longer distinguish their experience with the old categories: offline vs. online. Digital reality is the new reality. This equivalence affects psychological development, and this is a risk and vulnerability factor, with extreme potential consequences such as suicide or interpersonal violence.

The psychopathologies associated with the widespread use of the Internet and digital devices, such as problematic Internet use, cyberchondria, online gambling, etc., are widely studied in the literature. However, as rapidly as new platforms, apps, or SNSs are released, so too are new psychological and psychopathological behaviors observed (digital body image, filter overuse, fear of missing out, influencer virality, risky challenges, bystander effect, etc.).

This Special Issue of IJERPH welcomed scientific contributions that help to understand contemporary phenomena related to internet use in the adolescent mind. Studies may focus on aspects related to the self (identity, body image, ability to regulate emotions, metacognitive skills, coping, addictions, personality traits) as well as relational aspects (parasocial interactions, phubbing, sexting, ghosting, cyberviolence). These topics deserve further study, which should address the conceptualization of new phenomena and their possible prevention in terms of psychological and public health risks.