Use Of Social Media and Its Impact on The Psychological Well-Being of Teen Girls

Abstract

Objective: To assess the pattern of social media usage among adolescent girls and determine its association with psychological well-being using a validated mental health screening tool. Study Design: Cross-sectional descriptive study. Place and Duration of Study: Combined Military Hospital, Okara, Pakistan, from Oct 24 to Mar 25. Methodology: A total of 163 female students aged 13 to 19 years were included using convenience sampling. Data were collected via a self-administered questionnaire that included demographic information, Social Media Use (SMU) patterns, and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21). Descriptive statistics summarized baseline characteristics, and chi-square tests were applied to examine the association between SMU and mental health outcomes. Ethical approval was obtained from the relevant Institutional Review Board, and informed consent was secured. Results: The mean age of participants was 16.19±2.15 years. Among them, 58.9% reported using social media, with TikTok being the most frequently used platform (19%). Overall, 62.6% of participants fell within the normal range for depression, 71.2% for anxiety, and 48.5% for stress. However, social media users demonstrated significantly higher rates of moderate to extremely severe depression (p=0.002) and stress (p=0.027) compared to non-users. TikTok users exhibited the highest prevalence of severe and extremely severe depression (23.8% and 50%, respectively) and stress (57.1%). No significant association was found between SMU and anxiety levels (p=0.961). Conclusion: This study reveals a significant association between SMU-particularly TikTok—and increased levels of depression and stress among teenage girls.