Abstract:

In this study, it was aimed to examine the social media usage habits of students with special needs. 19 students with special needs who studied in the central district of Nevşehir province in the 2022-2023 academic year participated in the research. A semi-structured interview form prepared by the researcher was used during the data collection process of the study, in which a qualitative study design was used. The data obtained was divided into themes and codes in accordance with qualitative research and tabulated. Comments were made on the findings obtained by interpreting the tables. At the end of the research, it was determined that most students with special needs spend 1-2 hours a day in front of social media applications. It has been seen that the most used social media applications by students are Instagram, YouTube and TikTok. It has been determined that students generally use social media applications for obtaining information on any subject or for entertainment purposes. It was found that the students who participate in the research were generally aware of the harms of social media applications. In addition, it has been observed that students consider social media applications as a factor that negatively affects the socialization process. As a result, it has been observed that students with special needs actively use social media applications despite knowing some of their harms.

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