Psychological and Social Impacts of Social Media Usage Among Youth

The paper aims to discuss the psychological and social effects of using social media among young adults aged eighteen to thirty and the Uses and Gratifications Theory is adopted to serve as a framework of discussion. A quantitative study design embodying a structured questionnaire was administered to Hundred and thirty-three samples in Coimbatore, India. The survey measured the psychological effects, behaviour trends, reasons to use and perceived risks. Relationships between variables were analysed by means of descriptive statistics and chi-square tests. Findings showed that the largest percentage reported poor to moderate psychological and behaviour-related effects with Instagram the most influential amongst the respondents. Significant associations were found between motivation and behavior, psychological effects and perceived risks, and between usage patterns and platform preferences. These results indicate that the usage of the social media depends on the motivation of the users and may develop positive outcomes and even psychological effects. The study highlights the importance of promoting mindful digital engagement, especially among youth, and suggests further longitudinal research to explore causality.