Abstract:
With more than 4.26 billion social media users worldwide, social media has become a primary
source of health information, exchange, and influence. As its use has rapidly expanded, social
media has proven to be a “doubled-edged sword,” with considerable benefits as well as notable
harms. It can be used to encourage preventive behaviors, foster social connectivity for better
mental health, enable health officials to deliver timely information, and connect individuals
to reliable information. But social media also has contributed to public health crises by
exacerbating a decline in public trust, deteriorating mental health (especially in young people),
and spreading dangerous misinformation. These realities have profound implications for
health professionals, social media companies, governments, and users. We discuss promising
guidelines, digital safety practices, and regulations on which to build a comprehensive approach
to healthy use of social media. Concerted efforts from social media companies, governments,
users, public interest groups, and academia are essential to mitigate the harms and unlock the
benefits of this powerful new technology.
