The impact of social media addiction on healthy lifestyle beliefs in adolescents

Objective: This study was designed to examine the impact of social media addiction on healthy lifestyle beliefs in adolescents. Method: The study is a descriptive correlational study. The study was conducted with 722 students at middle and high school levels in a city in the eastern part of Turkey. Data were collected using the Socio-Demographic Information Form, Short Form of Social Media Addiction Scale for Adolescents, Adolescent Healthy Lifestyle Belief Scale. The data were reported using numbers, percentages, means, standard values, linear and hierarchical regression. Results: The mean age of adolescents was 14.44 +/- 2.62 and their body mass index was 20.16 +/- 3.72. Adolescents scored 14.43 +/- 2.63 on the social media addiction scale and 55.23 +/- 16.80 on the healthy lifestyle belief scale. Social media addiction explains 8.9% of the total variance in healthy lifestyle beliefs. An increase in social media addiction was found to have a statistically signi ficant effect on healthy lifestyle beliefs. The model established for the impact of age, weight, height, and BMI added to social media addiction on healthy lifestyle beliefs was signi ficant, and the explanatory power of the model was 11.6%. Conclusion: It was concluded that social media addiction has an impact on healthy lifestyle beliefs in adolescents and that creating awareness, maintaining balance, promoting alternative activities, and fostering family -school cooperation are important in this regard. Practice implications: In order to increase healthy lifestyle beliefs in adolescents, it is necessary to reduce social media addiction levels. Nursing interventions to be implemented for this purpose are important in improving and protecting adolescent health. (c) 2024 Published by Elsevier Inc.