Introduction: Several studies on the impact of social networks have pointed out that long-term use of social media platforms can be associated with negative symptoms and signs of depression, stress and anxiety. Mental health is defined as a state of well-being in which an individual develops abilities to cope with the stress of everyday life, works effectively and productively, and contributes to his community. Each individual experiences it differently. Anxiety is defined as a normal response to stress and in some situations, it can also be useful, as it helps warn us of dangers and prepares us to be more attentive. Increased anxiety can lead to various anxiety disorders, which are among the most common mental disorders. Purpose: The objective this thesis was to investigate how social networks affected the mental health of young people during the coronavirus epidemic. Methods: This thesis is based on a qualitative research method of work. A review of scientific and professional literature in both Slovenian and English was conducted. A review of scientific and professional literature in both Slovenian and English was conducted. The Cochrane library and MedLine (PubMed) databases were used for the literature search, which were accessed through the remote access of the Digital library of the University of Ljubljana (DiKUL). We also used the search engines dlib and Google Scholar, as well as the Tripdatabase. We used the following keywords in the literature search: anxiety AND social networks AND coronavirus AND mental health/anxiety AND social media AND coronavirus AND mental health. The research was not restricted to a specific region. Results: The findings from a review of eleven studies showed that the use of social networks increased during the coronavirus pandemic, which in turn led to increased anxiety. The authors have concluded that the level of anxiety increased mostly because of the sheer amount of information on the control of coronavirus epidemic and the veracity of that information. Discussion and conclusion: Based on the research we have reviewed, we can conclude that social networks have a great impact on mental health of the youth, especially in the period of social isolation like the coronavirus pandemic
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