The relationship between mobile social media use and academic performance in university students

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between social media use and academic performance.  Self-administered questionnaires were distributed to a sample of university students in Kuwait.  Results show that heavy mobile social media usage is positively related to lower GPA.  The strong linear relationship suggests the more students use social media the lower their grades will be.  Results also show participants were aware social media usage is lowering their grades, yet they continue to use them heavily regardless.  Future research should consider the context in which social media are used.  It should also explore other ways in which to measure social media use in addition to self-reports.

Keywords: Social media, academic performance, Kuwait, mobile phones.