Social Media Effects: Social Isolation.

Social media use has continued to expand as existing sites grow and new sites are created. In a Pew Research Center study in 2023, the most popular sites for all American adults were YouTube (83 percent) and Facebook (68 percent). Among young adults 18–29, YouTube (93 percent), Instagram (78 percent), and Snapchat (65 percent) dominated. Scholars have identified significant connections between social media use and social isolation. Some have praised social media as a method of ameliorating isolation, but others have insisted that it is frequently used to avoid human contact. Some scholars have identified a negative link between mental and physical health and extensive social media use.