ASSESSING IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA USE ON MENTAL HEALTH AMONG ADOLESCENTS IN PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN DAMATURU METROPOLIS, YOBE STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study assesses the impact of social media use on the mental health of adolescents in Damaturu metropolis, Yobe State, Nigeria. A descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. Data were collected from a sample of 365 adolescents which were drawn from population (7150) using Krejci and Morgan (1970) method. A structured questionnaire titled Social Media Use and Mental Health Questionnaire (SMUMHQ), which measured patterns of social media use and indicators of mental health such as anxiety, depression, self-esteem, and social interaction. Moreover, the questionnaire was validated by 3 experts in Psychology. Pilot study was conducted in 2 schools which is not part of the study area and a reliability coefficient of 0.82 was obtained using Cronbach Alpha. Descriptive statistics such as frequency counts, percentages, mean and standard deviation were employed while inferential statistics such as Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC), and simple linear regression analysis were used to test the hypotheses at the 0.05 level of significance. However, the results of this research revealed that there is a statistically significant extent of social media use among adolescents in public secondary schools in Damaturu metropolis. It also revealed that social media use has a statistically significant influence on the emotional well-being of adolescents in public secondary schools in Damaturu metropolis.