Behavioral Issues Related to Excessive Usage of Social Media among School-going Adolescents: A Study from Sonitpur District of Assam, India

Abstract

Background: School-going adolescents are found to be on the leading edge when it comes to social media usage. Aim and Objectives: The study was designed to see the behavioral issues related to excessive usage of social media among school-going adolescents from the Sonitpur district of Assam, India. Materials and Methods: Cross-sectional descriptive research design and simple random sampling were used to collect data. At the onset, 1045 respondents were recruited, but finally, n = 943 respondents were kept for the final study. Tools administered were sociodemographic data sheet, a semi-structured questionnaire, strength and difficulty questionnaire, and social media addiction scale. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS version 23.0. Results: The level of social media addiction was very high in 30.5% of the respondents. In Pearson’s coefficient correlation, social media addiction score was found to be significantly positively correlated with the emotional problem (r = 0.509, P = 0.01), conduct problem (r = 0.398, P = 0.01), hyperactivity problem (r = 0.489, P = 0.01), and peer problem (r = 0.359, P = 0.01). Conclusion: The present study highlighted the high prevalence of social media addiction among school-going adolescents. Hence, based on the findings, precautionary measures are the need of the hour. Intervention can be planned at the school level in collaboration with mental health-care personnel such as psychologists, school counselors, and social workers, etc.

Keywords

• children
• psychological distress
• smartphone usage
• social media apps