A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY ON ASSESSMENT OF SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AMONG MEDICAL STUDENTS IN KANPUR UTTAR PRADESH

Introduction: Social media refers to the means of interactions among people in which they create, share, and exchange information and ideas in virtual communities and networks. Aim and objectives:1. To estimate the prevalence of social media usage among medical students. 2.To study the association between different variables and social media usage. Methodology: A cross sectional analytical study involving 169 MBBS students of Naraina Medical College, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh completed in Three months duration. Results: A significant proportion (98.2%) of students use social media, with Instagram (46.2%) and YouTube (33.7%). A large number of students spend between 1-2 hours daily on social media, and over 80% use it for academic purposes.The majority of students (40%) post photos, followed by memes or reels (26.6%), and videos (22.8%). Educational content makes up a smaller portion of the posts (10.60%), . However, 78.1% of students believe social media can be addictive, and its impact on academic performance is mixed, with 49.7% reporting no effect. Conclusion: Social media plays a critical role in students' academic and social lives, understanding its effects on well-being and academic performance remains crucial. The high rate of its usage suggests that social media can be a valuable educational resource, but its potential distractions and impact on students' mental health also warrant further investigation