Faqihi Fahad Ali, Qutob Rayan A, Subh Ruba Hamed Mohammed, Aljathalin Lama Abdullah Mohammed, Alshalan Lina Ziyad, Yati Sara Mohammed Alhanshi, Alaryni Abdullah, Alghamdi Abdullah, Alsolamy Eysa, Bukhari Abdullah, Alanazi Abdulrahman, Hazazi Bayan Hussain Abdullah, Abuhemid Haifa Abdulrahman, Alassaf Reema Abdulrahman, Alzahrani Sarah Saad Muidh
Department of Internal Medicine and Adult Critical Care Medicine, Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib Medical Group Holding Company, Riyadh, SAU.
Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, Riyadh, SAU.
Cureus. 2024 Jan 30;16(1):e53261. doi: 10.7759/cureus.53261. eCollection 2024 Jan.
Adolescents are immersed in a highly advanced technology setting, characterized by extensive availability of personal devices, the internet, and other social media platforms, which greatly impact their mental development. Concerns arise around potential negative consequences, including social isolation, internet addiction, exposure to improper content, depression, cyberbullying, and sleeping difficulty. The impact of social media on the mental well-being of adolescents has emerged as an escalating concern. The continuous exposure to carefully selected content, online harassment, and the expectation to comply with unrealistic standards all contribute to the development of depression and anxiety. This research aims to explore the impact of social media on the mental health of adolescents in the Saudi Arabian context.
This online cross-sectional study was conducted on Saudis aged 10 to 24 years old who have social media accounts in Saudi Arabia between August and November 2023. Binary logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify factors that make the study participants more likely to be mentally affected by social media.
A total of 2856 participants were involved in this study. The most commonly used social media platform by the study participants was Twitter (30.3%). The majority of the study participants (77.4%) reported that they have tried to reduce their social media usage for mental health reasons. The most commonly agreed-upon statements were that "they feel that excessive social media use has negatively affected their sleep patterns," "they often sleep late in the night because of social media usage," and "they check their social media account before they sleep in the night," accounting for 71.0%, 66.1%, and 58.3%, respectively. Overall, the study participants showed a low level of being mentally affected due to social media with a mean score of 7.8 (SD: 3.9) out of 21, which is equal to 37.1%. Older participants (aged 16-24 years) were more prone to be mentally affected due to social media compared to younger ones (aged 10-15 years; p < 0.05). On the other hand, participants who were married, had a middle school education level, or lived in the northern, western, or eastern regions were less likely to be mentally affected due to social media compared to others (p < 0.05).
The study participants showed a low level of being mentally affected due to social media. Individuals in the 16-24 years age group show a higher susceptibility to mental impacts resulting from social media usage. The primary duty for reducing the potential negative effects of social media should not rest only on parents and caregivers. Advocating for the creation of technology-free zones and fostering in-person friendships among teens could be a beneficial approach that policymakers should support.
青少年沉浸在高度发达的技术环境中，其特点是个人设备、互联网和其他社交媒体平台广泛可得，这对他们的心理发展产生了重大影响。人们担心会产生潜在的负面后果，包括社会隔离、网络成瘾、接触不当内容、抑郁、网络欺凌和睡眠困难。社交媒体对青少年心理健康的影响已成为一个日益受到关注的问题。持续接触精心挑选的内容、网络骚扰以及遵守不切实际标准的期望，都导致了抑郁和焦虑的发展。本研究旨在探讨在沙特阿拉伯背景下社交媒体对青少年心理健康的影响。
这项在线横断面研究于2023年8月至11月对年龄在10至24岁、在沙特阿拉伯拥有社交媒体账户的沙特人进行。进行二元逻辑回归分析，以确定使研究参与者更容易受到社交媒体心理影响的因素。
共有2856名参与者参与了本研究。研究参与者最常用的社交媒体平台是推特（30.3%）。大多数研究参与者（77.4%）报告说，出于心理健康原因，他们曾试图减少社交媒体的使用。最普遍认同的说法是“他们觉得过度使用社交媒体对他们的睡眠模式产生了负面影响”、“由于使用社交媒体，他们经常晚睡”以及“他们在晚上睡觉前会查看社交媒体账户”，分别占71.0%、66.1%和58.3%。总体而言，研究参与者因社交媒体而受到心理影响的程度较低，在满分为21分的情况下，平均得分为7.8（标准差：3.9），相当于37.1%。与较年轻的参与者（10至15岁）相比，年龄较大的参与者（16至24岁）更容易受到社交媒体的心理影响（p<0.05）。另一方面，与其他人相比，已婚、具有中学教育水平或居住在北部、西部或东部地区的参与者受社交媒体心理影响的可能性较小（p<0.05）。
研究参与者因社交媒体而受到心理影响的程度较低。16至24岁年龄组的个体对社交媒体使用所产生的心理影响表现出更高的易感性。减少社交媒体潜在负面影响的主要责任不应仅落在父母和照顾者身上。倡导创建无技术区并促进青少年之间的面对面友谊可能是政策制定者应支持的有益方法。
