EFFECTIVENESS OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON MENTAL HEALTH OF ADOLESCENT STUDENTS IN CHENNAI CITY

Abstract

Social media, in its broadest meaning, refers to any digital application or software that allows users to engage in social interaction. There is an increasing concern regarding the impact of social media on adolescent mental health. Primary objectives of this study are a) To assess the effects of social media on mental health of adolescent students and b) To analyse the association between mental health of adolescent students with their selected demographic variables. The sample size of the study comprises of 135 adolescents. They were selected by non-probability convenient sampling method. A structured questionnaire and Four point DASS were used to analyse the association of level of mental health among adolescent students. Out of 135 adolescents, 71(52.59%) had moderate distress, 35(25.93%) had mild distress and 29(21.48%) had severe distress. The mean score of mental health among adolescents was 63.35±25.32. The median was 51.0 with minimum score of 32.0 and maximum score of 120.0. The demographic variable Which social media channels you are most active on? (χ2=13.726, p=0.033) had shown statistically significant association with level of mental health among adolescents at p<0.05 level. Social media use by some females can be concerning, since female adolescents report spending more time on social media and experience poorer mental health than male peers. INDEX TERMS- Social media, Mental health, Adolescence, Gadgets, Depression, Screen time.