Social Media Use and Academic Performance among High School Students: Roles of Time Spent and Purpose of Use

Abstract Background Studies have shown that social media (SM) can influence academic performance both positively and negatively depending on the students’ social media use (SMU) behaviors. Though many studies have examined time spent on SM and academic performance, the findings are inconclusive. Besides, only few studies have directly assessed the role of purpose of SMU. This study examines the influence of purpose of SMU, time spent on SM and their interaction on students’ academic performance. Method The sample comprised 110 Grade 11 students from a private high school in Addis Ababa. We collected data on students’ academic performance from official school records and the students’ demographics and SMU behaviors through a survey questionnaire developed for the purpose. We employed two-way ANOVA and chi-square test for data analyses. Findings Slightly more than 67% of the students used SM for noneducation purposes and on average these students spent more time on SM than those who used SM for education purposes. The students who used SM for education purposes scored significantly higher in all three subjects (English, mathematics and chemistry) than those who used SM for noneducation purposes. Students who spent shorter time on SM daily scored significantly better in all three subjects than those who spent longer. The purpose-by-time interaction effect is, however, not statistically significant. Conclusion Mainly the study showed that spending more time on SM particularly for noneducation purposes is harmful to students’ academic performance.