The Hidden Cost of Social Media: What Every Young Athlete's Mental Health Is Really Facing
- Dr Paul McCarthy
- 3 days ago
- 8 min read
Athlete mental health faces a new crisis in today's digital world. Young athletes find themselves exposed to social media platforms that can disrupt their psychological wellbeing, especially with user numbers hitting 3 billion in 2020 . Research reveals that young athletes who passively use social networking sites experience increased anxiety and decreased overall wellbeing .
Social media's connectivity and exposure in sports deserves celebration, but these platforms carry hidden risks. Studies demonstrate that extended social media use leads to higher social and physical anxiety, along with depressive moods . Young athletes become particularly vulnerable as they try to shape their identity . Their mental health struggles show
strong connections to digital media addiction and excessive social feed consumption .
This piece examines how passive social media use disrupts young athletes' lives, the harmful effects of upward social comparisons, and protective measures for athletes battling mental health challenges. Research confirms that mental illness threatens athletes across all age groups and competitive levels . The need for athlete mental health awareness has never been more critical.
The rise of social media in young athletes' lives
Social media has changed the way young athletes train, connect, and build their identities in sports. Research shows that 93% of teens use YouTube, while platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat attract about 60% of the teen population [1]. These platforms do more than entertain—they are the foundations of athletic development.
How digital platforms became part of training and identity
Young athletes today use social media beyond just social connections. They turn to these platforms to get valuable information about their sport, including new training techniques and competition strategies [1]. These digital tools proved particularly valuable during the COVID-19 pandemic. Athletes could stay physically active despite restrictions [2].
Social media has brought a fundamental change to athletes' personal brand development. Young athletes now act as "narrative architects" and use platforms to tell their stories and shape their athletic identities [3]. This brings practical advantages too—a strong social media presence helps athletes get better sponsorship deals, which matters even more as Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) opportunities grow in college sports [1].
Athletic identity develops through both ground and digital experiences. Social media has become young people's primary way to develop and share their athletic identity [4]. This digital presence gets immediate feedback that traditional athlete development never offered [4].
Why young athletes are more vulnerable to online influence
The benefits come with risks, and young athletes face specific challenges in the digital world. Most lack proper training—surveys reveal limited social media education for athletes. Many don't understand how their online activity affects their mental health and performance [5].
This lack of knowledge raises concerns since teens spend 4.1 to 5.8 hours on social media daily [1]. Young athletes often don't realize what their digital behavior means, with 46.5% of academy players sharing photos with strangers on platforms like SnapChat [6].
Regular exposure to filtered images and highlight reels creates unrealistic standards. Nearly half (46%) of teens say social media makes them feel worse about themselves [1]. Young athletes feel these negative effects more because they build their identity while handling intense performance pressures [5].
Passive scrolling and its hidden psychological effects
Social media behavior studies reveal passive scrolling as a hidden threat to young athlete mental health. This seemingly harmless activity carries psychological costs that often go unnoticed, unlike active participation.
What is passive social media use?
Passive social media use happens when people consume content without interacting with others [7]. Users simply view profiles, statuses, or content without leaving feedback, instead of commenting, posting, or messaging [8]. Research shows this browsing behavior makes up most of our social media time [9]. This makes understanding its effects crucial.
The link between passive use and negative emotions
Research reveals troubling connections between passive scrolling and psychological distress. Young athletes who scroll without engaging show increased anxiety (β = 0.26) and lower subjective well-being (β = -0.35) [10]. These effects reach beyond athletes. Studies show passive users report higher levels of anxiety, depression, and stress compared to those who create and share content [11].
The psychological mechanism makes sense. Passive social media use doesn't offer chances to communicate that build connections and social support [11]. This creates feelings of isolation that trigger higher levels of stress, anxiety, and depression [11].
How passive use guides upward social comparison
Passive scrolling creates an environment perfect for upward social comparison—where people compare themselves unfavorably to others they notice as superior [12]. Users showcase positive, improved versions of themselves on social platforms [9]. Young athletes who see these idealized presentations often think "they are better than me" or "they have a better life than I do" [9].
This comparison creates a contrast effect. Negative emotions surface when people don't see their lives match up to others' [9]. Experiments confirm this effect. Participants who used social media passively showed significant mental health declines [8]. Social networks mostly present embellished information. This increases the chances that athletes will make upward comparisons [8]. The result is an especially challenging environment if you have performance pressures already.
The role of upward social comparison in mental health
Social comparison has always been part of athletic performance, but social media has changed this natural tendency into something that could harm athletes. Social comparison theory shows how people measure themselves against others—a process that deeply affects athlete mental health.
Understanding upward comparison in athlete culture
Athletes naturally compare their abilities with competitors, teammates, and idols in sports [2]. Individual athletes take failure more personally than team athletes and blame themselves directly [13]. This self-blame creates deeper feelings of guilt and shame when they face negative outcomes [13].
How it affects self-esteem and anxiety
Upward comparison takes a heavy psychological toll. Research shows it can lower self-esteem, increase anxiety, and even trigger depression [14]. Athletes who constantly see idealized images start thinking "they are better than me" [9], which leads to negative self-judgment. This often results in body image issues, obsessive exercise habits, and in some cases, eating disorders [15].
Why young athletes are more prone to comparison
Young athletes face special challenges. They must handle typical teenage issues while meeting athletic demands [5]. About 20% of young athletes show higher depression scores compared to 9-12% of their peers [13]. Athletes at highly competitive levels deal with extra pressure from performance expectations and perfectionism [16].
Signs of a depressed athlete mental health due to comparison
Warning signs include:
How positive psychological capital can protect young athletes
Athletes need psychological capital to shield themselves from social media pressures. These psychological resources can fight off the negative effects of comparing themselves to others and mindless scrolling.
What is positive psychological capital?
Positive psychological capital (PsyCap) is a positive developmental state that boosts performance and shapes attitudes [18]. This higher-order construct has four main elements:
Hope: Knowing how to create different strategies toward goals and stay motivated
Efficacy: Believing you can perform needed behaviors
Resilience: Bouncing back from tough times and adapting to change
Optimism: Looking forward to good outcomes while staying realistic
PsyCap works as your positive mental state for achievement and success [19]. This psychological foundation helps athletes stay stable when facing challenges.
Hope, resilience, and optimism as buffers
Each part of PsyCap protects mental health in its own way. Athletes with hope focus better on goals and handle stress more effectively [20]. This mental strength helps them notice their support systems as dependable, which creates mental stability.
Athletes with resilience bounce back faster from setbacks without losing their edge [20]. Optimistic athletes see future events in a better light [21] and keep their mental balance even through tough times.
How it reduces anxiety and improves well-being
Research shows PsyCap directly affects athlete mental health. Athletes with stronger psychological capital handle stress better and recover faster from setbacks [22]. Their higher PsyCap levels also mean less burnout [22]. These resources boost performance by helping athletes maintain their best mental state.
Building psychological capital in sports environments
Coaches are vital to developing athletes' PsyCap. They can strengthen athletes' self-efficacy by creating intense competitive situations and giving positive feedback [6]. Adding psychological counseling to training schedules helps athletes stay focused whatever the competition results [6].
PsyCap grows through learning and experience [19], which opens real paths to improvement. Programs that target hope, efficacy, resilience, and optimism give young athletes the mental tools they need to succeed in today's digital world.
Conclusion
Social media platforms have revolutionized youth athletics, bringing new opportunities and mental health challenges. Young athletes face unprecedented psychological pressures when they scroll passively and make harmful upward social comparisons. Their developing identities make them vulnerable to these digital influences. This vulnerability increases when they don't know how to manage online environments.
Research shows that passive consumption of social media content increases anxiety and decreases well-being. This behavior often creates isolation and negative self-evaluation instead of encouraging connection. Athletes already deal with intense performance pressures, and these digital comparisons can worsen their existing mental health challenges.
Positive psychological capital protects athletes against these challenges effectively. Hope, efficacy, resilience, and optimism give young athletes mental resources to resist social media's negative effects. Coaches, parents, and sports organizations play a vital role in developing these psychological strengths. Athletes can build mental fortitude to direct digital spaces healthily through targeted programs and supportive environments.
Social media provides great training and personal branding benefits, but we must recognize its potential risks. Young athletes need protection from its hidden costs. They need detailed education about healthy online behaviors and active efforts to build psychological capital.
Our young athletes' mental health future depends on how we tackle these digital challenges. We can help them thrive both on and off the field by learning about social media's effects and developing protective psychological resources. Their wellbeing demands our complete attention and steadfast dedication.
Key Takeaways on Young Athlete's Mental Health
Young athletes face unprecedented mental health challenges from social media use, with passive scrolling and upward comparisons creating hidden psychological costs that can undermine their wellbeing and performance.
• Passive scrolling increases anxiety and depression - Simply viewing others' content without engaging leads to isolation and negative emotions in young athletes.
• Upward social comparison damages self-esteem - Constantly comparing themselves to idealized online images creates feelings of inadequacy and performance anxiety.
• Young athletes are uniquely vulnerable - They're forming their identity while facing intense performance pressures, making them more susceptible to social media's negative effects.
• Positive psychological capital provides protection - Building hope, resilience, optimism, and self-efficacy helps athletes resist social media's harmful mental health impacts.
• Education and support are essential - Coaches and parents must actively teach healthy digital habits while developing athletes' psychological strengths to navigate online spaces safely.
The key to protecting young athlete mental health lies in recognizing social media's hidden costs while proactively building the psychological resources needed to thrive in today's digital athletic environment.
References
[1] - https://truesport.org/mental-wellness/social-media-young-athletes/[2] - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1469029221001667[3] - https://www.charliehealth.com/post/athlete-depression[4] - https://usacheer.org/6-ways-social-media-impacts-athlete-identity[5] - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1469029223000456[6] - https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/13/8/617[7] - https://academic.oup.com/jcmc/article/29/1/zmad055/7595758[8] - https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1219190/full[9] - https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10641791/[10] - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37965659/[11] - https://www.bournemouth.ac.uk/news/2023-06-30/passive-social-media-use-linked-higher-levels-loneliness-psychological-distress[12] - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-37185-y[13] - https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/dec/12/individual-athletes-depression-german-researchers-technical-university-munich[14] - https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11804524/[15] - https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1452769/full[16] - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-77418-2[17] - https://theconversation.com/how-social-media-is-changing-the-game-for-athletes-258887[18] - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1441352319300245[19] - https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1509535/full[20] - https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1566508/full[21] - https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/18/7652[22] - https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11756217/
