Abstract
This study focused on the effects of social media on the mental health of first- year university students. The study was inspired by tertiary students who often go through a transitional change during their first year at university. Undergraduate students are now faced with the social media epidemic challenging their cognitive, social, emotional, and physical functioning. Findings in literature have suggested that the brain is fully developed at age 29 and social media can affect brain growth thus changing the psychological well-being of the individual. This was a quantitative exploratory design and descriptive statistics were used to describe data. Data was evaluated with the use of Microsoft Excel for simple statistical analysis. The findings illustrated that students in first year are of different ages (n=192) and therefore the use of Social Networking Services (SNS) affects their different stages of development. The cognitive functioning of students was affected with anxiety and distractions caused by task-switching therefore affecting their concentration during lecture periods. However, social media can be beneficial to students’ attentiveness whilst studying. Socially, participants of the study revealed they struggled with peer pressure and communication skills. Attachment styles and the types of relationships developed were some of the difficulties students faced especially when staying at student residences. Emotionally, the respondents experienced denial, regret, and low self-esteem. The development of compulsive behaviour in reviewing online material, statuses, and scrolling on social networking services affected their functioning as well. Physically, students struggled with sleep and developed a habitual routine of looking at their phones before and after they slept. Digitally, students accessed social network services predominantly at university with the access of free wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi). They further had profiles across different applications and spent at least two to five hours per day online without accessing academic online resources. Recommendations have been made for further research especially within the South African contexts.
M.Ed. (Educational Psychology)