Virtual world and mental health: influence of social media on adolescents' self-image/Mundo virtual e saude mental: influencia das midias sociais na autoimagem dos adolescentes/Mundo virtual y salud mental: influencia de las redes sociales en la autoimagen de los adolescentes

With the advancement of technology and the increasing access to social networks, teenagers are increasingly immersed in the virtual environment. However, this constant exposure can have significant consequences for the mental health of young people. In this sense, the objective of this research was to understand the impact of social networks on the development specifically of teenagers' self-image. This is an integrative literature review, in which a search was carried out in the Scielo, Lilacs, and Bireme databases. Scientific articles from the last seven years were selected, published in Portuguese, English, and Spanish. The results showed that social media can influence teenagers' self-image positively when used in moderation, but also negatively. Mental health can be affected by exposure to unattainable beauty and lifestyle standards; by the incidence of negative comments, as well as constant comparison on social networks, which also hinder the development of self-esteem and self-image. Therefore, it is essential to implement educational and preventive measures to promote healthy use of social networks among young people, empowering them to navigate critically in the digital environment and protect their mental health. In addition, regulations and online protection policies are necessary to mitigate the risks associated with excessive and harmful use of social networks in shaping the overall personality of this audience. Keywords: Adolescence. Mental Health. Self-image. Identity. Social Networks. Technology. Com o avanco da tecnologia e o crescente acesso as redes sociais, os adolescentes estao cada vez mais imersos no ambiente virtual. No entanto, essa exposicao constante pode gerar consequencias significativas para a saude mental dos jovens. Nesse sentido, o objetivo desta pesquisa foi compreender o impacto das redes sociais no desenvolvimento especificadamente da autoimagem dos adolescentes. Trata-se de uma pesquisa bibliografica integrativa da literatura, na qual realizou-se uma busca nas bases de dados Scielo, Lilacs e Bireme. Foram selecionados artigos cientificos dos ultimos sete anos, publicados nos idiomas portugues, ingles e espanhol. Os resultados demonstraram que as midias sociais podem influenciar na autoimagem dos adolescentes de maneira positiva quando usado com moderacao, mas tambem de forma negativa. A saude mental pode ser afetada pela exposicao aos padroes de beleza e de vida inalcancaveis; pela incidencia de comentarios negativos, a