Nexus Between Social Media Use and Mental Health Outcomes among High School Students in Kashmir, India

Background: The rapid development of technology has facilitated new types of social activity, communication, and information dissemination among students. With the development of technology, concerns have been raised regarding its potential impact on students' mental well-being. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between social media use and mental well-being among high school students in India. Methodology: This study employed a cross-sectional quantitative design, involving 246 students in grades 7 through 12. Social media use was assessed in terms of social activity, video gaming, virtual friendships, and smartphone addiction. To collect data, a structured survey using a validated tool for measuring social activity and mental well-being was employed. Comparative tests and correlation analysis were conducted to investigate the potential relations between social media use and mental well-being. Results: The overall prevalence of social media use among students was low, with a small portion participating in online friendships (3.6%) and video gaming (2.8%). There was a distinctly high level of social media use among male students and those in their upper academic years, specifically regarding smartphone use, media sharing, and participation in video gaming activities. There was a negative relationship between psychological well-being and social media use, specifically in terms of smartphone use (r = -0.16, p = 0.012), messaging (r = -0.14, p = 0.031), and video gaming (r = -0.25, p < 0.001). There was a significant association between anxiety and not having access to specific platforms, with over 14% of students reporting high and intermediate anxiety when not having access to messaging, and 17% reporting similar feelings when not having access to make a phone call. There was a negative relationship between age and psychological well-being (r = -0.33, p < 0.001), but a positive relationship with smartphone use (r = 0.19, p = 0.003) and with media sharing (r = 0.32, p < 0.001). Conclusion: The findings reveal the complex relationship between social media use and students' psychological well-being. Whereas social media use can have certain benefits, excessive and unregulated use can have increased anxiety and reduced mental well-being. The study recommends programmes to enhance digital competency, organise screen use, and deliver school-provided mental well-being services to promote responsible technology use among students. Unique Contribution: This study uniquely establishes a low overall prevalence of social media engagement among students, alongside gender- and academic-level disparities in use, and empirically confirms a significant negative correlation between specific social media activities (smartphone use, messaging, video gaming) and psychological well-being. Key recommendation: Given the negative relationship between specific social media activities and psychological well-being, universities should implement targeted intervention programmes focusing on responsible smartphone use and media sharing, especially for older male students, while addressing access anxiety related to messaging and phone communication.