Social Media Addiction Among Senior High School Students of Pasonanca National High School

Abstract

This study examined the level of social media addiction indicators among senior high school students of Pasonanca National High School and determined whether measured scores differed according to sex, academic track, and age. Using a quantitative descriptive-comparative and cross-sectional survey design, data were collected from 104 students enrolled in ICT, HUMSS, EIM, and HE tracks during School Year 2024–2025 through a five-point questionnaire adapted from the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS) framework, operationalized across four dimensions: occupation, mood modification, relapse, and conflict. Descriptive statistics, independent-samples t tests, and one-way analyses of variance were employed to analyze the data. Results showed an overall mean of 2.91, interpreted as Average, with mood modification obtaining the highest mean (M = 3.25), followed by occupation (M = 3.16), relapse (M = 2.68), and conflict (M = 2.59). A statistically significant difference was found by sex (t = −2.397, p = .018), with female respondents reporting higher scores (M = 3.10) than males (M = 2.80), while no significant differences emerged by academic track (F = 1.295, p = .280) or age (F = 1.998, p = .101). The findings indicate moderate levels of reported problematic social-media-use indicators, particularly those associated with mood modification and prolonged engagement, without establishing clinical diagnosis. The study contributes school-level evidence relevant to digital well-being and Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4: Quality Education). By providing localized data on students' digital engagement patterns, the research supports institutional and educational sustainability through informed digital-wellness initiatives, responsible technology-use education, and student-support programs that protect learning time, attention, sleep, and participation while recognizing social media's educational and social functions.