Abstract:

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected individuals' lifestyles and increased the interest in social media. It is stated that university students constitute a high-risk group in terms of social media use. This study was planned as a cross-sectional type in order to determine the social media addiction levels of undergraduate students studying at a university in the field of health sciences during the pandemic period. The sample of the study consisted of 428 undergraduate students from three different departments. The Social Media Addiction Scale-Adult Form (SMAS-AF) was used to determine the social media addiction levels of the students. Data were collected between May and June 2021. It was determined that the total score of SMAS-AF of the students participating in the study was 56.57±12.79. Female students' SMAS-AF score and SMAS-AF 'virtual tolerance' sub-dimension scores were found to be significantly higher than male students (p<0.05). The SMAS-AF scores of the students living in the district were found to be significantly higher than those living in the metropolitan city (p<0.05). It has been observed that the purpose of using social media affects the level of social media addiction. Accordingly, the SMAS-AF score of the students who use social media for educational/learning purposes was found to be lower (p<0.05). It is recommended to guide students with trainings that will increase awareness of the use of social media without affecting the psychological health of students and without disrupting their social relations.

Keywords: