Final report

Impact of social media usage on academic performance and concentration

Submitted by:

Vareesha (22101090068)

Arooj Butt (22101100001)

Syeda Fatima Raza (22101100019)

Muttahira (22101090007)

Mehak Sajjad (22101090043)

Course:

Data analysis using SPSS

Submitted to:

Sir Daud Afzal

Gift university, Gujranwala

15 Feb 2026
Introduction

Social media is an online communication platform. Users can generate web content,

exchange information, and engage in conversations on social media sites. Wikis, blogs,

microblogs, social networking sites, photo-sharing websites, instant messaging, video-sharing

websites, podcasts, elements, virtual worlds, and more are examples of social media (University

of South Florida - UCM, n.d.).

social media is used by billions of people worldwide to communicate and exchange

information. Social networking gives you the opportunity to interact with loved ones, learn new

things, explore your interests, and find entertainment. By engaging with other professionals in

your business, social media can help you expand your professional network and increase your

knowledge in a certain field.

Academic performance is a student’s ability to achieve the academic expectations

established, which include obtaining good grades, actively participating in class and

demonstrating a solid understanding of the concepts being taught. This requires developing

effective study skills, maintaining motivation and managing time efficiently.

It is a comprehensive process that encompasses not only the mastery of academic content, but

also the development of other skills such as problem solving, effective communication and

collaboration (Academic Performance: How Can It Be Improved? - British School of Barcelona,

2024).

The amount of focus and mental effort put into a task or activity is referred to as

concentration levels. It can range from low levels, when attention may stray or be easily
distracted, to high ones, where one is totally focused and involved in an activity (Concentration

Levels Definition - AP Psychology Key Term | Fiveable, n.d.).

Along with the benefits of social media there are a lot of side effects of it as well,

especially among teenagers and younger adults including students. Academic performance,

attention span, concentration, self-esteem, self-efficacy cognition, and all are affected due to

excessive use of social media. Social media can negatively impact our overall wellbeing by

anxiety, depression, loneliness, and FOMO (fear or missing out). These issues are especially

prevalent in teens and young adults (“Social Media’s Impact on Our Mental Health and Tips to

Use It Safely | Cultivating Health,” 2025).

Academic performance is a student’s ability to achieve the academic expectations

established, which include obtaining good grades, actively participating in class and

demonstrating a solid understanding of the concepts being taught. This requires developing

effective study skills, maintaining motivation and managing time efficiently.

It is a comprehensive process that encompasses not only the mastery of academic content, but

also the development of other skills such as problem solving, effective communication and

collaboration (Academic Performance: How Can It Be Improved? - British School of Barcelona,

2024).

Significance

This study is important because it provides insight on how kids' use of social media

affects their ability to focus and do well academically. The results might help parents and

teachers understand the possible cognitive effects of excessive social media use. Students may

become more aware of their ability to maintain healthy media habits as a result. Additionally, by
highlighting the connection between university students' academic performance and technology

use, the study advances psychological research.

Literature review

Up to three hours a day were spent on social media by 41.5% of students. The most

popular social media apps were YouTube (91.75%) and WhatsApp (98.25%). Social media was

used by 73.5% to read health-related news, 71.5% to finish tasks, and over 50% for research, test

preparation, and seminar preparation. Compared to male students, female students performed

better academically. Compared to medical students who performed well academically, those who

performed poorly on tests used social media far more. Social media use and social media

addiction scores were strongly positively correlated, while academic performance and social

media usage were weakly negatively correlated (Bhandarkar et al., 2021).

Social media addiction's addictive qualities and associated psychological effects have

made it a serious issue that has attracted more attention from the public health community.

Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine how SMA directly affects academic

achievement as well as how it indirectly affects psychological responses in Jordanian university

students. A random poll of 510 students 31.4% of whom were male and 68.6% of whom were

female was carried out at two universities. They were 21. 38 years old on average (SD = 2.12).

The results showed that while social media addiction directly affects students' stress and anxiety

levels, it also indirectly affects academic performance. Anxiety levels may be influenced by

stress, and this may have a direct impact on students’ academic performance.

The goal of this study is to investigate how behavioral and psychological concepts of

passion and self-determination relate to addiction to social networking sites (SNS). Using a

mixed framework, a combination of the split model of passion and the self-determination theory
(SDT; the current study investigated SNS addiction. An online survey conducted by a US-based

market research firm was used to gather data (N = 312). The poll included questions about

important concepts associated with the suggested research framework (e.g., obsessive passion

and harmonious passion). Every question in the survey was a seven-point Likert scale.

Demographic information and Internet usage data were also gathered (Kuss & Griffiths, 2011).

In the digital age, the prevalence of teenagers using social media platforms for learning,

studying, and homework is rising quickly. Little is known about the effects of social media

multitasking from the standpoint of attention management and self-regulation, despite evidence

of its detrimental effects. Using a sample of adolescents selected from high school students (N =

637), this study investigated the mediating function of attention management as a self-regulation

component in the relationship between social media multitasking and academic achievement.

The study employed a correlational research design. Academic performance was significantly

predicted to be negatively impacted by multitasking on social media, while academic

performance was positively predicted by attention control. It suggests that using social media to

multitask more frequently resulted in worse attention control and academic performance (Kokoç,

2021).

Most of the students chatted with friends and made new contacts on social media. They

claim that their usage of social media has impacted their writing and grammatical abilities and

decreased their reading of paper-based materials. They experienced eyestrain, neck and shoulder

pain, exhaustion, poor posture, and decreased physical activity as a result of using SM, which

also delayed their bedtime and reduced their amount of sleep time. This study comes to the

conclusion that University of Sharjah students' use of social media does have an impact on their

health and academic achievement. Given the detrimental effects of excessive social media use,
academic institutions should develop awareness campaigns and include this as a subject in health

education and awareness-raising classes. Additionally, our study produced fresh data and

insights into how excessive SM use affects university students' academic performance and

health, opening up new research avenues (Effects of Social Media Use on Health and Academic

Performance Among Students at the University of Sharjah, 2020).

Variables

Independent variable

Social media usage (Measured using the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale –

BSMAS)

Dependent variable

Academic performance (measured using academic performance rating scale)

Concentration level (measured by using concentration questionnaire)

Methodology

Study Aims and Objectives

 To compare the levels of social media addiction among youths

 To examine the relationship between social media usage, academic performance, and

concentration level.

Research design

Quantitative and correlational study was conducted to examine the relation between

social media usage, academic performance, and concentration level.

What is the impact of social media usage on academic performance and concentration

level?

Hypothesis

Null hypothesis (H0)

There is no significant impact on social media usage on academic performance

and concentration level.

Alternate hypothesis (H1)

The is a significant impact of social media usage on academic performance and

concentration level.

Sample

The study was conducted around the age of 18 to 25. All were college and university

students. The sample technique used was a convenient sample technique.

Instruments

 Social media usage (Measured using the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale –

BSMAS) (Client Challenge, n.d.).

 Academic performance (measured using academic performance rating scale) (Baisac,

n.d.).

 Concentration level (measured by using concentration questionnaire) (Bhatia, 2018).

Statistical analysis
 Data was analyzed using SPSS. Three parametric tests were primarily used which were

Pearson correlation, linear regression, and reliability. The correlation was used to check the

relation between social media usage, academic performance and concentration level among

students, whether there is significant relation between the three variables or just between two or

here is no relation between them. The linear regression was used to examine the impact of social

media usage on academic performance and concentration levels among students.

The reliability was checked of the instruments to make sure it has shown significant

results. The normality of the data was also checked to make sure the data is normal, so it showed

that the data was normal. Additionally, descriptive analysis was used to check the measures of

central tendency, standard deviation, and the spread of data.

Results

The results revealed a significant negative correlation between social media usage and

concentration level (r = −.507, p < .01), indicating that higher social media usage is associated

with lower concentration levels among students. However, no significant relationship was found

between social media usage and academic performance (r = .160, p > .05). Additionally,

academic performance was not significantly related to concentration level.

Table 1

Psychometric properties of sample for study variables (N=50)

scales N M S.D Min Max Skew Kur

SM_Total 50 18.10 4.277 50 29 .487 -.438

AP_Total 50 18.64 4.707 50 34 .094 1.560

Table 2

Correlation Analysis between social media, academic performance and concentration

(N=50)

Variables 1 2 3

Total Social media - .160 -.507**

Total Academic performance - - -.115

Total Concentration - - -

Note p<0.01

The results shows that the social media has a significant, moderate negative correlation with
concentration (r=-.507**, p<0.01). Additionally social media have positive but non-significant
relationship with academic performance (r=.160, p>0.01). Furthermore academic performance
and concentration have weak, negative and non- significant relationship (r=-.115, p>0.01).

Tests of Normality

Kolmogorov-Smirnova Shapiro-Wilk

Statistic df Sig. Statistic df Sig.

AP_Total .126 50 .046 .952 50 .043

CQ_Total .127 50 .042 .964 50 .125

Discussion
 The current study investigated the correlation between the usage of social media, the

level of concentration, and academic performance among college and university students. The

results showed that there is a significant negative correlation between the usage of social media

and the level of concentration, which means that the higher the usage of social media, the lower

the level of concentration and attention. However, there was no significant correlation between

the usage of social media and academic performance. Furthermore, the level of concentration

was also not significantly related to academic performance.

The negative correlation between social media use and concentration is consistent with

previous studies. For instance, Kokoç (2021) discovered that social media multitasking had a

negative prediction of attention control and academic achievement among adolescents. The study

highlighted the mediating effect of attention management in explaining the impact of

multitasking behaviors on learning. In the same way, the current study affirms that increased use

of social media could lead to a diminished capacity to concentrate, which is critical for effective

learning and information processing.

However, the lack of a significant relationship between the usage of social media and

academic performance is not consistent with some previous studies. Bhandarkar et al.

(2021) found that there was a weak but negative correlation between the usage of social media

and academic performance, especially among those with higher levels of social media addiction.

Similarly, a study carried out at the University of Sharjah (2020) found that excessive use of

social media had negatively impacted both health and academic performance. The disparity in

findings could be due to differences in sample size, study design, or the use of different

measures.
 Another possible explanation could be that the frequency of social media use may not be

a strong predictor of academic performance by itself. Kuss and Griffiths (2011), addictive

behavior and obsessive use have more psychological and academic implications. Stress, anxiety,

self-regulation, and motivation may act as mediators in the relationship between social media use

and academic performance. Thus, students who use social media frequently for academic

purposes may not necessarily have poor academic performance.

In general, the results show that the use of social media has a significant influence on

concentration but does not directly determine academic achievement. The relationship between

social media and academic achievement is complex and influenced by other psychological

factors. Future studies should take into consideration a larger sample size and other mediating

factors such as stress, attention control, and social media use to gain a better understanding of the

relationship. Encouraging balanced social media use may help students to maintain concentration

and achieve academic success.

Conclusion

This research work focused on the effect of social media use on academic performance

and concentration among college and university students. The results showed a significant

negative correlation between social media use and the level of concentration, meaning that the

more use of social media, the less the level of concentration. There was no significant

relationship between social media use and academic performance. The results of this study

indicate that although social media affects the concentration of students, it does not affect their

academic performance. Academic performance can be affected by many variables other than the

frequency of use
 The findings are partly consistent with the previous studies. Like Kokoç (2021), the

current study also confirms that the overuse of social media affects attention control negatively.

Contrary to Bhandarkar et al. (2021) and the study conducted at the University of Sharjah

(2020), the current study did not find any direct negative effect on academic performance.

Therefore, the link between the use of social media and academic success might be affected by

other variables such as self-regulation, stress levels, and the purpose of using social media. In

summary, it is essential to use social media in a balanced and deliberate way to maintain

concentration and attain academic success.

References
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