Social media induced stress and mental health challenge among University of Benin students, Nigeria: The Internet paradox
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65221/0078Keywords:
health, mental health, trauma, cyber bullingAbstract
The increasing use of social media among young people has raised concerns about its impact on mental health. This study examines the impact of social media usage and mental health outcomes among youth, with a particular focus on students at the University of Benin. The study investigates both the positive and negative effects of social media, including its role in fostering social connectivity, academic engagement, and access to information, as well as its contribution to stress, anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and cyberbullying. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 250 students, with data collected using a structured questionnaire. The findings reveal that while social media enhances communication and provides emotional support, it also contributes to negative psychological effects such as social comparison, exposure to misinformation, and cyber harassment. A significant number of respondents reported feeling stressed and anxious due to prolonged exposure to negative content on social media, while many also acknowledged the role of financial difficulties and societal expectations in exacerbating mental health challenges. The study highlights the need for greater awareness of the potential risks of social media use and the importance of digital literacy in mitigating these effects. It also calls for improved mental health support services within educational institutions to help students cope with social media-induced stress. The study therefore recommends promoting responsible social media use, increasing mental health education, and implementing stricter content regulation policies by social media platforms. This research contributes to the growing body of knowledge on social media and mental health, emphasizing the need for a balanced approach to social media use to protect the psychological well-being of young people
References
Ahn J, Son H, Chung AD (2021). Understanding public engagement on Twitter using topic modeling: The 2019 Ridgecrest earthquake case. International Journal of Information Management Data Insights 1(2):67-81.
Al-Ansi AM, Hazaimeh M, Hendi A, Al-Hrinat J, Adwan G (2023). How do social media influencers change adolescents’ behavior? An evidence from Middle East Countries. Heliyon 1:9(5).
Beam CR, Kim AJ (2020). Psychological sequelae of social isolation and loneliness might be a larger problem in young adults than older adults. Psychological Trauma:Theory, Research Practice, and Policy 12(S1):S58-S60. https://doi.org/10.1037/tra0000774
eMarketer (2017). Number of social media users worldwide from 2010 to 2021 (in billions). Statista. https://www.statista.com/statistics/278414/number-of-worldwidesocialnetwork users/
Fardouly J, Diedrichs PC, Vartanian LR, Halliwell E (2018). Social comparisons on social media: The impact of Facebook on young women's body image concerns and mood. Body Image 25:19-22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2018.02.002
George MJ, Odgers CL (2015). Seven fears and the science of how mobile technologies may be influencing adolescents in the digital age. Perspectives on Psychological Science 10(6):832-851. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691615596788
Guess A, Nyhan B, Reifler J (2020). Exposure to misinformation on social media: Evidence from the 2016 US presidential election. Nature Human Behaviour 4(5):472-480. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-020-0831-x
Hassan H, Hsbollah HM, Mohamad R(2022). Examining the interlink of social media use, purchase behavior, and mental health. Procedia Computer Science 196:85-92. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2022.07.012
Keles B, McCrae N, Grealish A (2020). A systematic review: The influence of social media on depression, anxiety, and psychological distress in adolescents. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth 25(1):79-93.
Keles B, McCrae N, Grealish A (2020). The effect of social media on young people's mental health and well-being: A systematic review. Children and Youth Services Review 113:104-119. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.104119
Kowalski RM, Giumetti GW, Schroeder AN, Lattanner MR (2019). Bullying in the digital age: A critical review and meta-analysis of cyberbullying research among youth. Psychological Bulletin 140(4):1073-1137. https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000172
Lund C, Breen A, Flisher AJ, Kakuma R, Corrigall J, Joska JA, Patel V (2020). Poverty and common mental disorders in low and middle-income countries: Asystematic review. Social Science and Medicine, 71(3):517-528.
Morgan C, Webb RT, Carr MJ, Kontopantelis E, Green J, Chew-Graham CA, Kapur N (2017). Incidence, clinical management, and mortality risk following selfharm among children and adolescents: Cohort study in primary care. BMJ 359P https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.j4351
Naslund JA, Bondre A, Torous J, Aschbrenner KA (2020). Social media and mental health: Benefits, risks, and opportunities for research and practice. Journal of Technology in Behavioral Science 5(1):245-257. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41347
Nesi J (2020). The impact of social media on youth mental health: Challenges and opportunities. North Carolina Medical Journal 81(2):116-121.
Okafor KE, Malizu L (2021). Social media use and mental health among university students in Nigeria. Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities 26(3):34-45.
Orben A, Dienlin T, Przybylski AK, Weinstein N (2019). Social media's enduring effect on adolescent life satisfaction. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 116(21):10226-10228. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1902058116
SciSpace (2024). What is the current global definition of mental health? https://typeset.io/questions/what-is-the-current-global-definition-of-mental-health
Statista (2021). Number of social network users worldwide from 2017 to 2025 (in billions). Statista. https://www.statista.com/statistics/278414/number-of-worldwide-social network-users/
Twenge JM, Haidt J, Lozano J, Cummins KM (2018). The digital era an adolescent mental health: A research review. Clinical Psychological Science 6(1):3-20.
Underwood MK, Ehrenreich SE (2017). The power and the pain of adolescents’ digital communication: Cyber victimization and the perils of lurking. American Psychologist 72(2):144-158.
Vigo D, Thornicroft G, Atun R (2016). Estimating the true global burden of mental illness. The Lancet Psychiatry 3(2):171-178.
