Exploring virtual spaces and shared practices
Mariacristina Rappazzo, Angela Santoro
The advent of the digital age has radically changed the way people interact, especially adolescents, making virtual spaces new places for communication and socialization. However, social media not only offer opportunities, they also present potential risks. Several studies (Ciudad-Fernández et al.,2024; Blanchard et al.,2024; EU Kids Online,2017) have analyzed the effects of social media on adolescents’ lives, highlighting the risk of self-destructive behaviors and the normalization of harmful practices. For some adolescents, the online world can overshadow real-world interactions, leading to dysfunctional behaviors such as sexting, cyberbullying and social withdrawal (Lancini,2015; Purba et al.,2023). This study offers a review of recent literature about the impact of social media on adolescent mental health to better understand their online experience and possible intervention strategies. It is desirable to harness the strong impact of social media on adolescents to develop prevention and intervention strategies, including risk monitoring and promoting a responsible digital culture, while providing support to young people in distress.
Keywords
Harmful practices, social media, virtual wounds, internet addiction, mental health.
