Neurodevelopmental Mechanisms of Adolescent Online Risk: A Multi-Level Perspective on Social Media and Metaverse Harms

Background: Adolescents’ engagement with social media and emerging metaverse platforms has become nearly universal, creating environments rich in opportunities for learning, creativity, and social connection. However, these same spaces also enable a range of risky behaviors (RBs) with potential impacts on mental health, safety, and development. Recent research (2022–2025) has documented rising concerns over cyberbullying, online sexual exploitation, self-harm content, problematic use, and new risks specific to immersive VR. Aims: This Perspective uses a narrative synthesis of recent empirical and theoretical literature, including four key articles provided by the author and over 40 additional peer-reviewed and institutional sources, to (i) map the most prevalent and emergent RBs in adolescent social media and metaverse use, (ii) clarify the neurodevelopmental and socio-technical mechanisms that link these behaviors to individual and contextual factors, and (iii) propose a multi-level framework for intervention, policy, and future research aligned with adolescent development. Methods: A narrative synthesis approach was adopted, which is appropriate for integrating heterogeneous study designs and rapidly evolving evidence. The review emphasizes studies published from 2022 to 2025, with a focus on large-scale surveys, longitudinal cohorts, systematic reviews, and scoping reviews relevant to adolescent online risk. Results: Evidence indicates small but consistent associations between high-intensity platform use and internalizing symptoms, with gendered pathways and cultural moderators. Algorithmic amplification contributes to the spread of harmful content, while immersive environments increase the salience and emotional impact of interactions. Certain groups—those with prior trauma, low SES, or marginalized identities—face heightened vulnerability. Conclusions: RBs in digital spaces emerge from the interplay of adolescent neurodevelopment, platform affordances, and socio-cultural context. This Perspective synthesizes recent evidence via narrative review to articulate these mechanisms and to inform an integrated, multi-level framework for harm mitigation that aligns research, platform design, and policy with adolescent developmental needs, while preserving the benefits of digital engagement.