A Cross-Sectional Study on Social Media Addiction in Students at the School of Nursing

Abstract

Background: The use of various social networks, combined with the consolidated time that internet users spend on these sites, constitutes a global public health problem, given that more than 90% of university students interact with these platforms on a daily basis. Objectives: aim of the study is to identify the level of social media addiction among first-semester nursing students at a private university in a metropolitan setting. Methods: A quantitative, descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted with 95 nursing students enrolled in the first academic semester at a private university in the northern area of Lima, Los Olivos, Peru (South America). Data were collected during the first semester of 2025 using a validated digital questionnaire on social media addiction (AMS-addiction to mobile social media). Ethical approval for this study was obtained from the Institutional Ethics Committee. Results: The results showed that the level of social media addiction among nursing students was predominantly moderate (34.7%), followed by low and high levels with similar proportions. The dimensions of excessive use and obsession showed balanced patterns across the three levels, while lack of control presented a higher predominance of the low level (53.7%). No significant differences were found according to sex (p > 0.05). The Shapiro–Wilk test confirmed a non-normal distribution, justifying the use of non-parametric tests. Conclusion: Students exhibit a moderate level of social media addiction, with marked impact in excessive use and obsession, despite retaining some control over their connection time. This phenomenon affects both sexes equally and highlights the need to promote educational interventions aimed at responsible and healthy social media use.