Examining the social media addiction levels of young people who are youth center members

Aim: The aim of the research is to examine the social media addiction levels of young people who are members of the youth center. Material and Method: The study employed a correlational screening model, a quantitative research method. The study population consisted of 37272 young people aged 14-29 who were members of youth centers in Malatya, and the study population consisted of 381 young people based on the power analysis. Data were collected using a personal information form, the Social Media Addiction Scale, and the Youth Center Expectations Scale. Statistical data analysis software was used to analyze the data. T-tests and ANOVA tests were used to analyze the significance of dependent and independent variables, while correlation analysis was conducted to determine the relationship between social media addiction and youth center expectations, with a significance level of p = 0.05. Results: In the study, it was found that the variables of gender, age, daily use of social media, duration of youth center membership are effective in the young people's thoughts of spending longer time on social media and conducting communication with other people through social media. The level of expectation from the youth center is affected by the duration of social media use and youth center membership. Conclusion: The research found that women, those between the ages of 22 and 25, those who spend more time on social media, and those with shorter youth center memberships are more likely to spend more time on social media and engage in social media communication. Increasing social media usage reduces expectations from youth centers, while increasing youth center membership increases expectations. It was concluded that with increasing expectations from youth centers, young people tend to decrease their social media time and communicate through social media.