Impact of Social Networking Sites on the Mental Health of College and School Going Students- A Study of Kashmir Valley

摘要

The advent of social networking sites like Facebook andWhatsApp has revolutionised the way people interact andcommunicate. Its usage has significantly increased all over theworld, particularly among the students. Students access these sites tointeract, play, discover and learn in significant ways. These siteshave certainly profound impacts on the academic and the otheractivities of the students. In this study, an attempt is made to assessthe usage of social networking sites and how it affects the mentalhealth of college and school students. A preliminary survey wasconducted for a sample of 80 students drawn from various collegesand schools in Kashmir Valley. Self- structured questionnaire wasused to collect data. Data solicited was analysed with the help ofMean, Standard Deviation, t-test and ANOVA. The research observedthat social networking sites impact the mental health of the studentsimmensely. The study showed that both positive and negative impactwas associated with social networking platforms. Some of the positiveimpacts of social networking sites included building relationships,self-expression, self-identity, community building and emotionalsupport. While on the other hand the negative impact of these sitesincluded issues like increased levels of depression and anxiety, poorsleep quality, cyberbullying and cybersuicide. It is suggested thatparents and children should be made aware to understand the effectsof usage of social networking sites on the mental health on youngstudents.