Document Type
Article
Source of Publication
Dirasat Human and Social Sciences
Publication Date
8-1-2025
Abstract
Objectives: This study aims to understand youth’s attitudes toward the effects of social media usage and its risk factors. It also investigates the impact of social media addiction on youth, and determines the mediating factors in this relationship, such as ‘FOMO’ (fear of missing out) and nocturnal social media usage. Methods :For the purpose of this research, 327 university students were surveyed using the Social Media Addiction Scale, the FOMO Scale, the Nocturnal Social Media Use Scale, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Index Scale. Results: The results reveal statistically significant correlations between high social media usage and adverse effects on mental health, social relationships, and increased anxiety. The study shows that higher social media usage correlates with increased acknowledgment of addiction to the internet and media entertainment. Moreover, it unveils a statistically significant correlation between frequent social media use and the perception of self-esteem and indicates a strong correlation between social media usage on the one hand and withdrawal symptoms and tolerance on the other. Conclusions: The study concludes that social media platforms have become an integral part in the daily lives of youth worldwide. It also pinpoints some negative consequences of excessive social media use on adolescents’ health and physical activity, including addiction and other relevant issues.
DOI Link
ISSN
Publisher
The University of Jordan
Volume
53
Issue
1
Disciplines
Communication
Keywords
addiction, distraction, Social media, youth
Scopus ID
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Recommended Citation
Akhtar, Fokiya and Alali, Fawzia Abdulla, "Youth Attitudes Towards the Effects of Social Media Addiction A Study on University Students in the United Arab Emirates" (2025). All Works. 7478.
https://zuscholars.zu.ac.ae/works/7478
Indexed in Scopus
yes
Open Access
yes
Open Access Type
Hybrid: This publication is openly available in a subscription-based journal/series