PARENTAL ATTITUDE AND SOCIAL MEDIA ADDICTION AS PREDICTORS OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS’ DEVIANT BEHAVIOUR IN DELTA STATE

The study investigated parental attitude and social media addiction as predictor of secondary school students’ deviant behavior in Delta State. Seven research questions were raised to guide the study and seven hypotheses were formulated and tested at 0.05 alpha level of significance. The study adopted a descriptive survey design using a correlational approach. The population of the study comprised four thousand, six hundred and twenty nine (4,629) students from twenty four (24) public junior and senior secondary schools. The sample size for the study was made up of 581 secondary school students’ in Delta State which was drawn from 257 and 324 in JSS2 and SS1 respectively. A simple random sampling technique was used. A self- structured questionnaire titled; Parental Attitude Social Media Addiction and Deviant Behaviour Questionnaire (PASMADBQ) were used to obtain information from the respondents. The reliability coefficient index for .733, .750 and .873 respectively. It showed that the instrument was reliable. The data collected was analysed using simple linear regression, multiple linear regression and fisher Z transformation statistics. The findings of the study revealed that parental attitude and social media addiction significantly predict secondary school students’ deviant behaviour in Delta State. Secondly, there is no difference in the relationship between parental attitude and students’ deviant behaviour based on sex and age. Lastly, there is no difference in the relationship between social media addiction and students’ deviant behaviour based on sex and age in Delta State. Based on the findings, it was recommended that parents should regulate and monitor the use of social media by their children in order to counter deviant behaviour attributed to social media at tender age. School authorities should engage students more closely in order to get information on and assist in behaviour modification. School counsellors should be at the forefront in adopting social media channels as a new way of routinely advising and mentoring students.