Determining social media addiction, aggression and mental well-being in middle school children

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to determine social media addiction, aggression, and mental well-being among middle school students. This descriptive and correlational study was conducted between November and December 2024 with 295 students enrolled in a middle school in Istanbul. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using the Descriptive Questionnaire, the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale, the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale, and the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire. Data analysis was carried out using computer-based statistical software. To determine the relationships between students' scale scores, Pearson correlation analysis was employed. For parametric tests, Independent Samples t-Test and One-Way ANOVA were used. Group means and the LSD test were used to compare independent variables. Prior to the study, permissions were obtained from the students, their parents, the Provincial Directorate of National Education, and the school where the study was conducted. A moderate, positive, and statistically significant relationship was found between social media addiction and levels of physical aggression, hostility, anger, and verbal aggression among middle school students (p<0.001). In the simple linear regression analysis, the model was found to be significant (F=85.56, p<0.015). There was a moderate correlation between students' social media addiction and their aggression levels (R=0.475), and social media addiction explained 22.6% of the total variance in aggression levels (R²=0.226). Based on the findings, it was determined that social media addiction made a statistically significant positive contribution to the regression model (t=9.25, p<0.001). In this context, social media addiction affected the aggression levels and, to some extent, the mental well-being of the participating middle school students. It is recommended that schools place greater emphasis on health-promoting and protective activities to safeguard students from potential risks associated with social media addiction. Keywords: Social Media Addiction, Aggression, Mental Well-being, School Children, School Health Nursing.