Emotional Intelligence and Peer Support Network as Predictors of Resilience toward Social Media-Related Vulnerability: Evidence from Youth in Punjab, Pakistan

The universal influence of social media on the lives of youth in today's digital era cannot be overstated. With the rise of platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, young people are not only consumers but also producers of vast amounts of content, shaping their identities, relationships, and perceptions of the world. Social media vulnerabilities affect and cut across people worldwide, regardless of boundaries, and impose on privacy, mental health. Among these, cyberbullying, misinformation, online radicalization, and fraud are the common problems that affect people universally. For the current study quantitative research design and survey was designed to determine the relationship among peer support networks, emotional intelligence, and resilience to social media-related vulnerability of young people in Punjab, Pakistan. The study was conducted among students at the institute of Southern Punjab Multan, the University of Sargodha, the University of Central Punjab Lahore, and Women’s University Rawalpindi. The sample size was 350 students, with accessible students from each university. Convenience sampling was selected when studying types of participants. The study found strong, positive relationships between emotional intelligence, peer support networks, and resilience toward social media-related vulnerabilities among youth in Punjab, Pakistan. The model fit well with the data, supported by a statistically significant ANOVA result.