2020/04/01 by Shaohai Jiang, Annabel Ngien · 1 voice · 3 citations
Social Sciences · Arts and Humanities · #Impact of Technology on Adolescents #Media Influence and Health #Child Development and Digital Technology
paper · pdf · doi:10.1177/2056305120912488
openalex publication_date 2020/04/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/16
Social media have been growing rapidly during the past decade. However, it remains unclear whether social media make people more emotionally healthy or less. This study aims to explore the effect of Instagram use on individuals’ social anxiety. With a general basis of the three-stage model of interactive media use for health promotion, we conducted a cross-sectional online survey study ( N = 388) in the context of Singapore and empirically tested a mediation pathway linking Instagram use to social anxiety. The results indicated that Instagram use did not directly increase social anxiety. Instead, social comparison, a proximal outcome, and self-esteem, an intermediate outcome played mediating roles, supporting the complete mediation effects. This finding provides important theoretical and practical implications for the design of health campaigns and education in this digital era to enhance the positive effect of social media on health and emotional well-being.