Problematic Social Media Use and Academic Performance among University Students: An Evaluation from The Middle East
Open accessAbstract
Background: The widespread use of social media applications generated a problematic behavior of excessive and inappropriate use that has been associated with mental health problems. Available data assessed this behavior using different surrogate markers in certain university majors. This study aims to assess the effect of this behavior on academic performance, using a validated tool, across different majors. Methods: A cross-sectional study that randomly recruited university students from three Middle Eastern countries. using an online survey. The study included 277 participants with an average age of 21.53±2.1 years. The problematic social media use (PSMU) was evaluated using the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS) and academic performance was evaluated using the GPA. Data regarding the demographics and the characteristic of social media use were collected. Results: PMSU was identified as an independent predictor of academic performance. The low academic performance group was more likely to use social media applications during the night, which negatively affected the ability to wake up the next day and be ready for exams. Conclusion: There is a need for a more large-scale systematic evaluation of the extent of PSMU and its effect on academic performance among university students at both the regional and international levels. These analyses will help in building effective interventions to reduce the impact of PSMU on university students.
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Previous studies show heterogeneous results on the relationship between digital addiction and academic performance.
“Los estudios previos evidencian resultados heterogéneos en la relación entre adicción digital y rendimiento académico, lo que refleja la complejidad del fenómeno.”
From Relación entre la Adicción a Tecnologías Digitales y el Rendimiento Académico de Estudiantes de Ingeniería Sanitaria en una Universidad Pública de Cajamarca, Perú (2025) · cites this paper as Alhusban et al., 2022
En Alhusban et al. (2022), los estudiantes con bajo rendimiento académico registraron puntuaciones significativamente más elevadas en el BSMAS (18.0) en comparación con aquellos de alto rendimiento (15.4).
“los estudiantes con bajo rendimiento académico registraron puntuaciones significativamente más elevadas en el BSMAS (18.0) en comparación con aquellos de alto rendimiento (15.4)”
From Relación entre la Adicción a Tecnologías Digitales y el Rendimiento Académico de Estudiantes de Ingeniería Sanitaria en una Universidad Pública de Cajamarca, Perú (2025) · cites this paper as Alhusban et al. (2022)
Alhusban et al. (2022), en 277 estudiantes universitarios de Oriente Medio, reportaron que un aumento en la puntuación de adicción en la escala de Bergen (BSMAS) se asocia a una menor probabilidad de alto rendimiento académico (OR = 0.92).
“el estudio de Alhusban et al. (2022) reportó un aumento en la puntuación de adicción en la escala de Bergen (BSMAS), asociándolo a una menor probabilidad de alto rendimiento académico (OR = 0.92).”
From Relación entre la Adicción a Tecnologías Digitales y el Rendimiento Académico de Estudiantes de Ingeniería Sanitaria en una Universidad Pública de Cajamarca, Perú (2025) · cites this paper as Alhusban et al. (2022)
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Luicho Yopla, J., & Llamoga Vásquez, M. I. (2025) · Sciencevolution · doi:10.61325/ser.v4i4.232
- Authors
- Alhusban, A., Mismar, T., Al Husban, A., & Alzoubi, K. H.
- Affiliations
- Qassim University (SA)
- Al Ain University (AE)
- Jordan University of Science and Technology (JO)
- Corresponding author
- Alhusban, Ahmed
- Venue
- The Open Nursing Journal
- Publisher
- Bentham Science Publishers Ltd.
- Published
- 2022-08-30
- Volume
- 16
- Issue
- 1
- ISSN
- 1874-4346 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W4293559855
- Cited by
- 13
- References
- 8
- Citations by year
- 2026: 7 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 1
- FWCI
- 2.16
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- diamond
- doi.org
- Locations
- The Open Nursing Journal (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Impact of Technology on Adolescents
- Social Sciences › Demography › Cyberloafing and Workplace Behavior
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Sexuality, Behavior, and Technology
- Keywords
- social media addiction, academic performance, university students, Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale, grade point average, mental health, Middle East
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