Social media addiction among high school students in Iraqi Kurdistan region

Abdullah, Rebar Yahya; Ismail, Bahar Mohammed Salih; Ezzat, Hayat Qadir; Sadeeq, Hoger Anwar

doi:10.21608/ejcm.2024.271694.1286

Social media addiction among high school students in Iraqi Kurdistan region

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Community health and Maternity Nursing Department, College of Nursing, University of Duhok, Duhok, Kurdistan Region, Iraq

² Psychiatric and Pediatric Nursing Department, College of Nursing, University of Duhok, Duhok, Kurdistan Region, Iraq

³ Nursing Department, Duhok Technical Institute, Duhok Polytechnic University, Duhok, Kurdistan Region, Iraq

10.21608/ejcm.2024.271694.1286

Abstract

Background: The using of social media platforms has increased dramatically in recent years, particularly among young people and teenagers. The present study aimed to find out the social media prevalence addiction among high school students in Iraqi Kurdistan region. Methods: a cross-sectional design was conducted, involving 384 high school students who were interviewed directly to collect data on various aspects, such as socio-demographic data, social media usage history, and addiction to these platforms. The Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMA) was employed as the instrument for measuring addiction levels. The analysis of the collected data was adopted using SPSS, version 23. Results: The majority (78.2%) of students utilized multiple social media platforms. A significant proportion (68.8%) of students reported social media usage at bedtime. Approximately 17.4% of high school students had social media addiction. There was a significant association between social media addiction and the following factors; age ≥18 years (p=0.004), using multiple social media platforms (p=0.007), particularly using four or more platforms, and bedtime use of social media (p<0.001). However, gender and grade did not emerge as significant factors in relation to addiction of social media. Conclusions: Social media addiction among a sample of Iraqi high school students is high compare with many other countries. It is notably linked to age, using multiple platforms of social media, and bedtime social media usage. These findings indicate the importance of monitoring the utilization of digital tools. Further studies are required to explore the impact of awareness program and corrective measures.

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