Impacts of Social Media Use and Information Environments on the Mental Health of Junior High School Students

Abstract

In recent years, the mental health of junior high school students has drawn widespread public attention. Yet many discussions remain general and do not clearly connect everyday digital life with concrete risks and supports. Recent domestic surveys indicate that Chinese junior-high students spend about 2.5 hours per day on social media on average, and that short-video platforms are used by more than four-fifths of students; platform mix and regulation differ from Western contexts, so findings cannot be directly transferred, and time-limit-only controls have shown limited effects. This article reviews how social media use and today’s digital information environment relate to common mental-health problems in early adolescence. It summarizes current concerns reported by schools and families, then analyzes three main pathways—sleep disruption, social evaluation and comparison, and online risks such as cyberbullying—through which digital patterns can affect students’ emotional well-being. Focusing on grades 7–9 in urban and rural schools in eastern, central and western China, and drawing on recent international research together with domestic examples, it proposes multi-level responses at family, school and platform levels to help junior-high students develop healthier digital habits and a stronger, more stable sense of self.