Social Media Addiction and Well-Being: A Mapping of Global Research Trends and Intellectual Structure (2015–2025)

Abstract

The escalating prevalence of social media addiction and its profound implications for psychological well-being necessitate a comprehensive understanding of the field’s global intellectual structure and thematic evolution. Despite the expanding body of literature, a systematic, large-scale mapping is needed to delineate dominant research clusters, key cross-national collaborations, and persistent gaps. Therefore, this bibliometric analysis aims to map the global intellectual structure, productivity trends, and thematic development of 698 peer-reviewed journal articles published between 2015 and 2025, retrieved from the Scopus database. The dataset underwent rigorous preprocessing via OpenRefine for data harmonization, followed by scientific mapping using VOSviewer to generate co-authorship and keyword co-occurrence networks. The analysis indicates a significant and accelerating upward trend in publications, largely dominated by contributions from the United States, China, the United Kingdom, and India, with evidence of complex, multi-clustered international collaboration. Keyword co-occurrence analysis revealed seven major thematic clusters centered around internet addiction, depression, anxiety, and psychological distress, validating core linkages between problematic social media use and negative mental health outcomes. Critically, the findings reveal a concentrated research focus that implicitly highlights significant future inquiry gaps concerning cross-cultural variability across different global regions, the systematic development of digital well-being intervention strategies, and the integration of robust theoretical frameworks to guide policy. This study offers a high-precision, current overview for international researchers and policymakers, guiding evidence-based decision-making and prioritizing future high-impact research pathways.