A Study on the Relationship between Social Media Addiction and Self-Regulation Processes among University Students

Abstract

In this research, the relationships between social media addiction (SMA) and self-regulation levels among university students were investigated. A sample of 329 (234 women, 95 men) university students with the age range 18-29 were selected. SMA and self-regulation scales were administered to the sample. The multiple regression analysis revealed that SMA was predicted by self-monitoring; self-evaluation and self-reinforcement did not predict SMA. The regression model accounted for 17% of the variance in SMA, while self-regulation predicted the SMA levels and the regression model accounted for 7% of the variance in SMA. Independent sample t test demonstrated that there were no gender differences between the means of SMA and self-regulation. But, there was a significant difference between the means of SMA of working students and non-working students, non-working students SMA mean scores were higher.