The Impact of Social Media on Unethical Behaviors from the Perspective of the Ninth and Tenth Grade Students in Jordan

Abstract

The present study aimed to explore the impact of social media on unethical behaviors from the perspective of ninth and tenth grade students in Jordan. The researchers adopted descriptive and quantitative approaches. They used a questionnaire to identify the social media platform used the most by ninth and tenth grade students in Amman and Balqa, Jordan. Through using the questionnaire, they aimed to explore the impact of social media on unethical behaviors in family and society.It was found that YouTube is the social media platform used the most by ninth and tenth grade students in Jordan. Electronic games- e.g. Pubg, Fortnite, Sims and etc..- are ranked second in this regard. Facebook is ranked third. Instagram is ranked third too. Snapchat is ranked fourth and Twitter is ranked fifth. Twitter is ranked last.It was found that social media significantly affects family and society. It was found that social media has been playing a significant role in promoting unfamiliar values in society. Social media has been promoting the use of bad words among young people. In terms of family, it was found that the prevalence of social media led to reducing the extent of interaction between family members. It was found that social media led to reducing the degree to which children interact with their family member. It was found that social media negatively affects family relationships.It was found that there are statistically significant differences –at the statistical significance level of (a=0.05)- between the respondents’ attitudes which can be attributed to city and family income. The latter difference are for the favor of the respondents living in the city and the respondents whose family income is high.The researchers recommend holding lectures for students and parents to promote awareness about the advantages and disadvantages of using social media. Such lectures must include information about the way of using social media and organizing one’s time to use it. Keywords : social media, unethical behaviors, Jordanian students DOI: 10.7176/JEP/11-15-15 Publication date: May 31 st 2020