Canadian University Dubai students conduct study on impact of social media on mental health

A team of students from Canadian University Dubai (CUD) has conducted a wide-ranging study into the impact of social media usage on youth in the region.

The project, which aimed to raise awareness surrounding mental health and wellbeing, culminated in a debate addressing the question, ‘Prevalence of Mental Health Disorders in the Youth: to What Extent is Social Media to Blame?’

In addition to social media, the research cited a range of developmental and societal factors that can affect a young person’s mental health, concluding that deeper studies are required to consider these broader contexts.

Conducted as part of the Bachelor of Communications course on Media Impact, the research explored the nature and extent of social media usage among young people in the region, revealing that the Arab World has a very high rate of social media engagement, with the UAE ranking at third position for social media penetration in the GCC.

The research findings also highlighted data which indicated that “69.7 percent of students in the UAE use social media five or more hours daily and have been bullied online at least once”, and furthermore, “56 percent admitted to attempting to quit social media in the past 12 months but failed to do so.”

Gaia Cianci, a second-year Public Relations student who compiled the final project report explained, “Spending long hours on social media made me realize that it is essential to understand its positive and negative effects on mental health, in order to avoid adverse consequences.  Through the research, I concluded that social media can be a factor in mental health disorders; therefore, it is important to control its usage and not to rely on social networks to share every aspect of our lives.”

Addressing the opposing side of the debate, third-year Public Relations student, Fatma Ali, said, “In my own experience, I consider social media to be an essential; I rely on it not only for entertainment, but also for career-related functions. However, the research and the debate were an eye-opener to me. Nevertheless, personally I’m fully aware of the possible negative impact social media might have on mental health, and with that awareness, comes guarding myself from that impact.”

With both sides presenting compelling arguments, the study highlighted the need for more research. Third-year Public Relations student Leslie Ogundkun summed up the experience of many young people: “Its impact on my life has been a mixture of the positive and negative.”

Bringing the debate to a conclusion, Fatma said, “The data that links social media usage to mental health disorders is insufficient at present. As social media is a fairly new tool, we are still adapting to its use. Research gains more value when conducted over long periods of time, and social media has not matured enough to directly link it to mental health disorders.”

The research was supervised by Professor Ode Amaize from the Faculty of Communication, Arts and Sciences, who commented: “While it is important for Communication and Media students to be aware of prominent theories of media effects, including computer-mediated ones; these theories are better understood and internalized through pedagogic praxes. Interestingly, as noted in some of the opposing arguments, we learn of developmental, socio-economic contexts, and cultural factors, besides the use of social media, that explain the prevalence of mental health disorders among the youth.”

Visit the project website link for more information about the research, campaign and debate.