Abstract:
This study seeks to investigate the level of social media addiction and its association with psychological loneliness among secondary school students in Jerusalem. To achieve this, a correlational descriptive methodology is employed, utilizing two instruments: scales measuring "social media addiction" and "psychological loneliness." These scales are administered to a convenience sample of (366) male and female secondary school students from public schools in Jerusalem.
The findings indicate that the level of social media addiction among secondary school students in Jerusalem is 70.2%, reflecting a moderate degree of addiction. The arithmetic means of the participants' responses to the items on the social media addiction scale range from 3.57 to 3.35. The domain of "excessive addiction and usage" ranks highest, with a mean score of 3.57 (71.4%), while the domain of "impact on social relationships" ranks lowest, with a mean score of 3.35 (67.0%), both indicating a moderate level of addiction. The overall arithmetic mean for the psychological loneliness scale is 2.99 (59.8%), also suggesting a moderate level of psychological loneliness. The means for the various domains of the psychological loneliness scale range from 3.10 to 2.86. The domain of "emotional isolation" ranks highest, with a mean score of 3.10 (62.0%), while "social isolation" ranks lowest, with a mean score of 2.86 (57.2%).
The study reveals a statistically significant positive correlation between social media addiction and psychological loneliness among secondary school students in Jerusalem, with a Pearson correlation coefficient of r = 0.592. Furthermore, the results suggest that there are no statistically significant differences in social media addiction levels or their relationship with psychological loneliness based on gender, grade level, or academic specialization.
The study recommends the development of educational and counseling programs aimed at reducing social media addiction and promoting authentic social interactions.
