Impact of Social Media Addiction on Mental Health and Academic Performance Among University Students
Abstract
Social media has become an integral part of university students’ everyday lives, but excessive and uncontrolled engagement may interfere with psychological well-being and academic functioning. The present study examined the relationship between social media addiction, mental health, and academic performance among undergraduate students in Peshawar, Pakistan. A cross-sectional quantitative design was employed with 200 undergraduate students aged 18–26 years, including 100 males and 100 females, recruited from Iqra National University, the University of Peshawar, and Islamia College University Peshawar. Participants completed the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS), the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21), and an Academic Performance Scale (APS) adapted from previous academic-functioning measures. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, regression analyses, independent-samples t-tests, and one-way ANOVAs were conducted. The mean BSMAS score was 18.42 (SD = 4.76), indicating a moderate level of problematic social media use in the sample. Mean DASS-21 and APS scores were 42.18 (SD = 13.24) and 31.47 (SD = 7.83), respectively. Social media addiction was positively associated with psychological distress, r(198) = .54, p < .001, and negatively associated with academic performance, r(198) = −.47, p < .001. Regression analysis showed that social media addiction explained 29% of the variance in mental-health difficulties and 22% of the variance in academic performance. Males reported significantly higher BSMAS scores than females, whereas gender differences in mental health and academic performance were not significant. Age-group differences were significant for social media addiction and academic performance, but not for mental health. The findings support the relevance of Uses and Gratifications Theory and Social Comparison Theory and highlight the need for university-based screening, digital-wellness education, counseling, and focused interventions for students at elevated risk.
