Abstract
Background:
The rapid advancement of technology and internet accessibility in contemporary education system has significantly increased the use of social media worldwide. Especially among young people social media use is more common, nursing students also use social media on daily basis. Despite having beneficial use of social media excessive and addictive use may affect students’ academic performance.
Objectives:
The study aims to determine the impact of social media addiction on the academic performance of undergraduate nursing students and identify the association between social media addiction and academic achievement.
Methodology:
An analytic cross-sectional study design was conducted at private nursing college. A sample of 167 nursing students were selected using stratified random sampling with proportional allocation. Data was collected using 5 point Likert scale. Data was analyzed using SPSS 29. Descriptive statistics mean standard deviation and percentages are used to describe the population.
Results:
The result findings showed a moderate level of social media addiction among students (Mean = 3.59 ± 0.69). Spearman correlation analysis revealed a weak but statistically significant positive association between social media addiction and academic performance (r = 0.234, p = 0.002). Most participants reported using more than three social media platforms, with Instagram being the most commonly used application, and many students spent more than four hours daily on social media.
Conclusion:
The study concluded that social media addiction significantly affects the academic performance of nursing students. Although social media provides educational benefits and improves communication and learning access, excessive use may negatively influence study habits and concentration. The findings indicate that balanced use of SM is important for maintaining better academic performance among nursing students.