From Scrolls to Strain: Understanding the Association Between Smartphone Overuse, Social Media Addiction, and Mental Health Among Allied Health Sciences Students: An Analytical Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Smartphones and social media have become deeply embedded in student life, raising concerns about their potential psychological impact. Mental health challenges such as depression and anxiety are increasingly linked to digital overuse, especially in academic settings. However, evidence on topics in low-income countries is still understudied. This research addresses the gap by examining the link between mental health, smartphone usage, and social media dependency among undergraduate allied health sciences students. Methodology: This cross-sectional analytical study was conducted on 186 students from Allied Health Sciences in Swat, Pakistan. Depression and addiction to social media were evaluated using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and the Social Media Addiction Scale (SMA). Descriptive statistics and chi-square tests for association were used to examine the data using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) v. 27. Results: Among the total study participants, mild depression was found in 31.2%, moderate in 27.4%, moderate in 16.7, and severe in 2.7%. A total of 55.4% of students indicated social media addiction, yet no significant correlation was discovered between mental health and social media addiction (p=0.742). The addiction to social media had a noteworthy correlation with female gender (p=0.041), and females also showed a significant association with poorer mental health (p=0.008). Conclusion: Even though there was no direct connection between social media addiction and mental health, the female gender, on the other hand, showed a strong significance in mental health and social media addiction among the population of the study. Longitudinal studies in the future should be conducted to find out these factors in larger and diverse populations, and determine the actual impact over a lengthy timeframe.