Assess knowledge regarding the adverse effects of social networking in their academic performance among B.Sc nursing students in selected nursing colleges at Tumakuru

Background: Internet addiction can be a significant threat to one's health and social well-being in that it enforces antisocial behaviour. The addiction can lead to the inability to communicate in the real world by depriving the addict of the daily practices involved with interpersonal communication. The act of using facial expressions or certain gestures to relay intended emotion or emphasize meaning decline as the addict substitutes keystrokes resembling smiley faces, or avatars. Methodology: A quantitative approach with descriptive survey design was adopted for the study. The samples from the selected nursing colleges were selected using convenient sampling technique. The sample consisted of 100 B.Sc(N) students. The tools used for data collection was structured knowledge questionnaire. Results: The study result reveal that, Overall knowledge range was 6-20, mean 12.94, standard deviation was 3.741, mean percentage was 43.13%. In present study 31% had inadequate adequate knowledge, 69% of them had moderate knowledge and none of them were found to be with adequate knowledge. The participants gender, education and previous exam percentage demographic variables were significantly associated with knowledge at 95% level of confidence (p>0.05). Conclusion: These results underscore the urgent need for structured educational interventions and digital literacy programs to enhance students’ understanding of the academic consequences of social networking and to promote responsible usage behaviors.