The impact of advanced technology and social media platforms on lifestyle medicine: a narrative review
Abstract
The digital revolution-including smartphones, wearable devices, mobile applications, and online platforms- has fundamentally transformed modern human lifestyle and health behaviors. This narrative review synthesizes evidence on the positive and negative impacts of social media and smart technologies on the six pillars of lifestyle medicine: nutrition, physical activity, stress management, substance use, restorative sleep, and social connection. We conducted a narrative review of English-language, peer-reviewed literature from 2010 to 2025. Searches were performed in PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, and PsycINFO, supplemented by Google Scholar and reference-list screening. Across pillars, (SMAT) can enable self-monitoring, goal-setting, personalized feedback, and remote coaching. Evidence is strongest for physical activity and dietary self-management, particularly when interventions include behaviour change techniques (e.g., prompts, gamification, and social support) and clinician input. Digital mindfulness and cognitive-behavioral programs show modest reductions in perceived stress and improvements in sleep outcomes in selected populations. However, excessive screen time and evening device use are consistently associated with poorer sleep, digital fatigue, and reduced wellbeing. Social platforms can enhance peer support and accountability, but can also amplify misinformation, unhealthy comparison, and exposure to marketing or norms that promote risky substance use.…
Read the paper
Related studies
- Tobacco and COPD: presenting the World Health Organization (WHO) Tobacco Knowledge Summary
- Comparative effects of e-cigarette smoking on periodontal status, salivary pH, and cotinine levels
- Association between exposure to environmental pollutants and increased oral health risks, a comprehensive review
- Influence of gestational window on offspring vascular health in rodents with in utero exposure to electronic cigarettes
- Natural products as kinase inhibitors in lung cancer: molecular mechanisms, therapeutic potential, and clinical trials
- Nicotine in electronic cigarettes
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.