Comparison of social media addiction in university students of health sciences and social sciences

Yucra-Mamani Y.; Fuentes-López J.D.; Dueñas-Zúñiga H.F.; Barrientos-Paredes K.N.; Callata-Gallegos Z.E. · Revista Cubana de Investigaciones Biomedicas (2026)

Resumen

Introduction: Increased social media use can lead to addiction. Objective: To compare social media addiction among students of health sciences and social sciences. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with university students. A total of 828 young people (443 men and 385 women) from two fields of study-health sciences and social sciences-were included. The age range was 18 to 26 years. The Social Media Addiction Scale was administered. Results: Over the five years, students in health sciences programs outperformed their social science counterparts in all four addiction indicators (virtual tolerance, virtual communication, virtual problems, and virtual information). However, in both cases, the average scores decreased as the years of study progressed. Conclusions: University students in health sciences showed greater social media addiction. Both student groups reduced their social media use over the course of their studies, suggesting fluctuations in their behavior.

Instituciones: Universidad Nacional del Altiplano