Effect of Social Media Addiction towards Sleeping Pattern and Knowledge Acquisition among Nursing Students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31674/mjn.2025.v17i02.012Abstract
Background: In recent decades, social media has revolutionised the landscape. Individuals employ social media to obtain Knowledge and information instantaneously. For students, persistent engagement with social media or addiction may produce adverse effects. Social media has become essential to our daily lives, providing various benefits across multiple areas. Social media can indirectly foster addiction, as students often engage with it for prolonged durations. This study examines the impact of social media addiction on nursing students' sleep patterns and knowledge acquisition. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study included 284 University Kuala Lumpur (RCMP) nursing students studying bachelor's and diploma programs in Ipoh, Perak. The self-administered questionnaire included demographics, the social media addiction scale, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and knowledge acquisition assessments. Correlational statistical analyses assessed variable relationships. Results: There was a weak and statistically non-significant positive correlation between social media addiction and student sleep patterns (Pearson's r = 0.019, p = 0.749), indicating no meaningful relationship. In contrast, a moderate and statistically significant positive correlation was observed between social media addiction and knowledge acquisition (Pearson's r = 0.568, p < 0.001), suggesting a reliable association between increased social media use and higher knowledge acquisition. Conclusion: The study elucidates the complex interconnections between social media addiction, sleep patterns, and knowledge acquisition among Universiti Kuala Lumpur Royal College of Medicine Perak (UniKL RCMP) nursing students. Social media addiction does impact knowledge acquisition but does not affect sleep quality. To avoid over-reliance, educational institutions may consider using social media as an additional learning resource while promoting moderate usage.
Keywords:
Knowledge Acquisition, Nursing Student, Sleeping Pattern, Social Media Addiction, Social MediaDownloads
References
Abu, A. F., Fashakh, A. M., & Bayat, O. (2020). The impacts of social media on University students in Iraq. Egyptian Informatics Journal, 21(3), 139–144. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eij.2019.12.003
Abu‐Snieneh, H. M., Aroury, A. M. A., Alsharari, A. F., Al‐Ghabeesh, S. H., & Esaileh, A. A. (2020). Relationship between sleep quality, using social media platforms, and academic performance among university students. Perspectives in Psychiatric Care, 56(2), 415–423. https://doi.org/10.1111/ppc.12450
Acharya, S., Chalise, A., Marasine, N. R., & Paudel, S. (2025). Exploring the association between sleep quality, internet addiction, and related factors among adolescents in Dakshinkali Municipality, Nepal. PLoS One, 20(1), e0317747. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0317747
Aichner, T., Grünfelder, M., Maurer, O., & Jegeni, D. (2021). Twenty-five years of social media: A review of social media applications and definitions from 1994 to 2019. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 24(4), 215–222. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2020.0134
Aksaka, N., Şahinkaya, S., & Yay, E. (2025). Influence of digital behavior and sleep quality on periodontal status in adolescents: A cross-sectional study. BMC Oral Health, 25(1), 1374. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12903-025-06749-x
Alfaya, M. A., Abdullah, N. S., Alshahrani, N. Z., Alqahtani, A. A. A., Algethami, M. R., Al Qahtani, A. S. Y., Aljunaid, M. A., & Alharbi, F. T. G. (2023). Prevalence and determinants of social media addiction among medical students in a selected university in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study. Healthcare, 11(10), 1370. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11101370
Alhusseini, N. K., Ramadan, M., Almasry, Y., Atout, M., Hamsho, K., Mahmoud, M., ... & Shakir, I. (2022). Effects of sleep quality on academic performance and psychological distress among medical students in Saudi Arabia. Health Scope, 11(2), e123801. https://doi.org/10.5812/jhealthscope-123801
Alimoradi, Z., Lin, C.-Y., Broström, A., Bülow, P. H., Bajalan, Z., Griffiths, M. D., Ohayon, M. M., & Pakpour, A. H. (2019). Internet addiction and sleep problems: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 47, 51–61. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2019.06.004
Bamigboye, O. O., & Olusesan, A. A. (2017). An analysis on impact of social media for learning in Eastern Cape Universities, South Africa. International Journal of Educational Sciences, 17(1-3), 69-75. https://doi.org/10.31901/24566322.2017/17.1-3.09
Berdida, D. J. E. (2025). Nursing students’ personality traits, sleep quality, social media addiction, and academic performance: A multi-site structural equation model analysis. Journal of Professional Nursing, 56, 26–35. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.profnurs.2024.11.004
Buysse, D. J., Reynolds, C. F., Monk, T. H., Berman, S. R., & Kupfer, D. J. (1989). The Pittsburgh sleep quality index: A new instrument for psychiatric practice and research. Psychiatry Research, 28(2), 193–213. https://doi.org/10.1016/0165-1781(89)90047-4
Junior, G. J. F., Da Silva, A. B., Meneghetti, A., Leite, C. R., Brust, C., Moreira, G. C., & Felden, É. P. G. (2024). Relationships between internet addiction, quality of life and sleep problems: A structural equation modeling analysis. Jornal de Pediatria, 100(3), 283–288. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jped.2023.09.015
Haleem, A., Javaid, M., Qadri, M. A., & Suman, R. (2022). Understanding the role of digital technologies in education: A review. Sustainable Operations and Computers, 3, 275–285. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.susoc.2022.05.004
Hosen, M., Ogbeibu, S., Giridharan, B., Cham, T.-H., Lim, W. M., & Paul, J. (2021). Individual motivation and social media influence on student knowledge sharing and learning performance: Evidence from an emerging economy. Computers & Education, 172, 104262. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2021.104262
Hossain, M. M., & Rahman, M. H. (2021). Assessing sleep quality and its effects on academic performance among University Students. Journal of Sleep Sciences. https://doi.org/10.18502/jss.v5i2.5614
Izquierdo-Condoy, J. S., Paz, C., Nati-Castillo, H. A., Gollini-Mihalopoulos, R., Aveiro-Róbalo, T. R., Paucar, J. R.V., Mamami, S. E. L., Caicedo, J. F., Loaiza-Guevara, V., Mejía, D. C., Salazar-Santoliva, C., Villavicencio-Gomezjurado, M., Hall, C., & Ortiz-Prado, E. (2025). Impact of mobile phone usage on sleep quality among medical students across Latin America: Multicenter cross-sectional study. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 27(1), e60630. https://doi.org/10.2196/60630
Khan, M. N., Ashraf, M. A., Seinen, D., Khan, K. U., & Laar, R. A. (2021). Social media for knowledge acquisition and dissemination: The impact of the covid-19 pandemic on collaborative learning driven social media adoption. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 648253. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.648253
Kumar, V., & Nanda, P. (2024). Social media as a learning tool: a perspective on formal and informal learning. International Journal of Educational Reform, 33(2), 157–182. https://doi.org/10.1177/10567879221094303
Kurniasanti, K., Firdaus, K., Christian, H., Wiguna, T., Wiwie, M., & Ismail, R. (2019). Internet screen time and related factors: threat to adolescents in Indonesia. Makara Human Behavior Studies in Asia, 23(2), 152. https://doi.org/10.7454/hubs.asia.1070819
Ladi-Akinyemi, T. W., Ogunbona, A. O., & Abiola, A. O. (2025). Self-Reported influence of social media addiction on sleep pattern and academic performance among senior secondary school students in yaba local council development area, Lagos State. Nigerian Medical Practitioner, 87(1-3), 10-21. https://www.ajol.info/index.php/nmp/article/view/295656
Merter, Ö. S., Şengül, Z. K., & Akay, K. (2025). The effect of the digital world on sleep: Problematic media use and sleep disturbances in school age children. Anatolian Journal of Health Research, 6(1), 21–26. https://doi.org/10.61534/anatoljhr.1608756
Mohamed, E. F., Mohamed, A. E., Youssef, A. M., Sehlo, M. G., Soliman, E. S. A., & Ibrahim, A. S. (2025). Facebook addiction among medical students: Prevalence and consequences. Middle East Current Psychiatry, 32(1), 7. https://doi.org/10.1186/s43045-025-00501-5
Salihin, M. H. B., & Raheema, C. C. Z. @. (2023). An association between social media addiction and academic performance among undergraduate nursing students from IIUM Kuantan. Scholars Journal of Applied Medical Sciences, 11(05), 905–911. https://doi.org/10.36347/sjams.2023.v11i05.016
Saud, D. F. A., Alhaddab, S. A., Alhajri, S. M., Alharbi, N. S., Aljohar, S. A., & Mortada, E. M. (2019). The association between body image, body mass index and social media addiction among female students at a Saudi Arabia Public University. Malaysian Journal of Medicine & Health Sciences, 15(1). https://shorturl.at/zdE0I
Shafiq, A., Gulzar, A., Imtiaz, I., Sami, M. A., Hussain, F., Imtiaz, K., & Ambreen, H. (2023). Association of social media addiction with insomnia among university students. The Professional Medical Journal, 30(2), 276–280. https://doi.org/10.29309/TPMJ/2023.30.02.7246
Silomba, J. (2022). Students’ social media use, addiction levels and its perceived impact on their social life: a case of Copperbelt colleges of education, Zambia (Doctoral dissertation, The University of Zambia). http://dspace.unza.zm/handle/123456789/7806
Talis, G. (2022). Internet addiction. In E. Akerele (Ed.), Substance and non-substance related addictions: A global approach (pp. 99–107). Springer Nature Switzerland AG. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-84834-7_7
Ünal, A. T., & Deniz, L. (2015). Development of the social media addiction scale. AJIT-e: Academic Journal of Information Technology, 6(21), 51-70. https://doi.org/10.5824/1309-1581.2015.4.004.x
Wang, J., & Wang, S. (2025). The emotional reinforcement mechanism of and phased intervention strategies for social media addiction. Behavioral Sciences, 15(5), 665. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15050665
Wickramasurendra, J. M., Jagoda, D. J., & Rathnayake, R. M. L. (2021). Factors influencing social media addiction among g.c.e. advanced level students in Sri Lanka: A case study in Colombo District, Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 1(2), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.4038/sljssh.v1i2.33
Yeşiltepe, A., Demirkiran, B. C., & Çam, S. D. (2023). Social media addiction among nursing students and its related factors. Makara Journal of Health Research, 27(1), 8–11. http://localhost:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/6618
Zaw, C. C., & Azenal, N. A. (2021). Association between social media addiction and mental health among International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) undergraduate nursing students. International Journal of Care Scholars, 4(Supp1), 32-39. https://doi.org/10.31436/ijcs.v4iSupp1.216
Zhu, X., Zheng, T., Ding, L., Zhang, X., Li, Z., & Jiang, H. (2023). Exploring associations between social media addiction, social media fatigue, fear of missing out and sleep quality among university students: A cross-section study. PloS One, 18(10), e0292429. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0292429
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 The Malaysian Journal of Nursing (MJN)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
