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Abstract

Background: Social media integration into the life cycle occurs at a fast pace, which has a considerable impact on the academic context, especially nursing students. With networking benefits, the availability of information resources, and company presence, the social networks have negative effects by distracting and causing organizational time management and increased levels of academic performance to decline. The present study aims to assess the level of social media addiction of nursing students and its relation to the academic performance of the students, to implement corrective measures.
Aim: The study aimed to explore the relationship between social media addiction and the academic performance of nursing students.
Methods: A quantitative, cross-sectional study was conducted among 232 nursing students in Swat, using self-administered questionnaires. Participants were selected through convenience sampling, and data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Chi-square tests were employed to assess the associations between demographic variables and social media usage patterns.
Results: According to the study, 94% of the respondents said social media addiction was undesirable for their academic performance. Other platforms used include WhatsApp, and Twitter as important in group learning and subject collaboration, while the excessive use of social media was said to endanger study time, performance and clinical practice. The gender, age, the marital status and year of study were statistically significant determinants of social media usage. Hypothesis 3 was also supported; the non-academic activities detected on SNS were more frequent among male students and younger students, although older students exhibited diminished interest.
Conclusion: Social media's dual role as a learning tool and a source of distraction highlights the need for effective management strategies. Educators should focus on promoting responsible usage and providing support to students, enabling them to balance their academic responsibilities with social media activities.