INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL MEDIA ADDICTION, STUDY HABITS, AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AMONG SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN SURULERE LAGOS STATE

This undergraduate research paper examines the influence of social media addiction and study habits on the academic achievement of senior secondary school students in Surulere, Lagos State. The study pays particular attention to how excessive social media use, students’ learning behaviors, and moderating factors, such as family support, peer influence, socio-economic status, and access to technology, interact to shape academic outcomes. Using a descriptive survey design, the research relied on a validated, self-developed questionnaire administered to a sample of 100 students selected through cluster sampling. The study explores the prevalence of social media addiction, its relationship with study habits, and the individual and combined effects of these variables on students’ academic performance. The analysis provides insight into how excessive engagement with social media disrupts concentration, encourages procrastination, affects sleep quality, and ultimately lowers academic achievement, while also showing that strong and consistent study habits can reduce some of these negative effects. Findings reveal that social media addiction has a significant detrimental impact on academic achievement, although effective study habits serve as a protective factor. The study further highlights the important roles of peer influence, family support, and socio-economic background in shaping students’ academic outcomes. These insights carry important implications for educators, parents, counselors, and policymakers, particularly in designing interventions that promote responsible technology use, reinforce positive study habits, and support students’ overall academic success. This work contributes to ongoing discussions in educational psychology, adolescent development, and digital literacy, and provides a valuable foundation for further research into the evolving relationship between digital media use, study behaviors, and student achievement in contemporary secondary education.