Effect of Social Media on Mental Health and Academic Performance: Evidence from Tertiary Level Education

Abstract

The rapid evolution of technology, particularly social media, has made it an integral part of daily life and has significantly impacted every walk of life, including students and education. The current study aims to explore the positive and negative effects of social media usage on students' lives. The study seeks to investigate the influence of social media on the female students' academic performance and mental health. The research follows a descriptive nature, employing a survey technique to gather data. The target population includes 11 departments within a government sector female university in south Punjab, Pakistan. A random sampling technique was employed to select the sample, comprising 500 students. Researchers adapted and utilized a questionnaire, employing a Likert-type scale for data collection. The validity of the questionnaire was assessed by field experts, and its reliability was determined through an independent sample t-test. Data collection involved researchers personally visiting the selected departments and administering the questionnaires to the students. Subsequently, the collected data was analyzed using SPSS version 22 software, employing frequencies and percentages for data analysis.