Social Media Addiction and Mental Health Among University Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Indonesia

Deteriorating mental health among university students during the COVID-19 pandemic is a serious worldwide public health concern. This study aims to examine the linkage between social media addiction and mental health of university students in Indonesia and to address whether family relationship and religiosity may mitigate the harmful effects of social media on the mental health of students at this time. We collected data from 709 students at universities across the country between June 3 and June 20, 2020. Mental health was measured using 10 items validated by the Center for Epidemiological Studies–Depression (CES-D) scale. We found that students with higher social media addiction scores had a greater likelihood of experiencing mild depression (OR 1.07, CI: 1.02–1.12). Students who had good relationships with their parents and were more religious showed better mental health than those who had poor relationships with their parents and were less religious. This study suggests the need to mitigate university students’ mental health risks through reducing social media addiction while encouraging family relationships and religiosity during the pandemic.