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Abstract
This study examined the impact of social media usage on the mental health of econdary school students in Egor Local Government Area of Edo State. The study specifically focused on the nature of online interactions, duration of daily social media
engagement, exposure to harmful or inappropriate content, social comparison among friends, and differences in impact by sex. A descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The population comprised secondary school students in Egor Local Government Area, while a sample of 150 students was selected using a multistage sampling technique. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire developed by the researcher and analysed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics, including one sample t test and independent samples t test, at the 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that secondary school students actively engage in positive online interactions such as friendly conversations and emotional support. However, the results also showed that many students spend more than three hours daily on social media, stay online late into the night, and experience emotional fatigue after prolonged use. The study further revealed that students significantly interact with harmful or inappropriate online content and engage in social comparison among friends. In addition, a significant difference was found in the impact of social media usage between male and female students, with female students being more affected. The study concluded that social media usage among secondary school students has both positive and negative effects on their mental health. It therefore recommended proper guidance, monitoring, and digital literacy education to promote healthy social media use and
protect students’ mental wellbeing.
engagement, exposure to harmful or inappropriate content, social comparison among friends, and differences in impact by sex. A descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The population comprised secondary school students in Egor Local Government Area, while a sample of 150 students was selected using a multistage sampling technique. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire developed by the researcher and analysed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics, including one sample t test and independent samples t test, at the 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that secondary school students actively engage in positive online interactions such as friendly conversations and emotional support. However, the results also showed that many students spend more than three hours daily on social media, stay online late into the night, and experience emotional fatigue after prolonged use. The study further revealed that students significantly interact with harmful or inappropriate online content and engage in social comparison among friends. In addition, a significant difference was found in the impact of social media usage between male and female students, with female students being more affected. The study concluded that social media usage among secondary school students has both positive and negative effects on their mental health. It therefore recommended proper guidance, monitoring, and digital literacy education to promote healthy social media use and
protect students’ mental wellbeing.
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