Influence of social media on the emotional well-being of in-school adolescents in Ilorin Metropolis

Abstract

The study investigated the influence of social media on the emotional well-being of in-school adolescents in Ilorin metropolis. The moderating variables of gender, age, and school type were examined. The population of this study comprised 241,324 in-school adolescents in Kwara State while a sample of 400 secondary school students was selected using simple random and stratified sampling techniques. The researchers designed the “Influence of Social Media on Emotional Wellbeing Questionnaire” (ISMEWQ) to collect data with a reliability coefficient of 0.78. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics such as percentage, mean, and ranking order, and inferential statistics including t-test and ANOVA to analyse the research question and hypotheses, respectively. All hypotheses were tested at a 0.05 significance level. The results showed that social media has a negative influence on the emotional well-being of in-school adolescents because they experience feelings of anxiety when they do not receive enough likes or comments on their social media posts; felt pressure to present a perfect image of themselves on social media; often experienced feelings of isolation when they saw others' social media posts and among others. The study further revealed that there was a significant difference in the influence of social media on the emotional well-being of in-school adolescents in Ilorin metropolis based on gender, age, and school type. Based on the findings of this study, it was recommended that schools should introduce comprehensive digital literacy curricula that teach students about the potential negative impacts of social media, how to use these platforms responsibly, and how to critically evaluate online content. Counsellors should prioritize raising awareness about the potential negative impacts of social media on emotional wellbeing for in-school adolescents.