Social Media Addiction of High School Students: Üsküdar District Sample in Turkey

The increasing use of social media on a global scale, which has gained the most widespread use of interactive applications that emerged with Web 2.0 technologies, has brought about important changes in people’s lives. Social media impacted every aspect of life. It has been a matter of debate whether the intensive use of social media applications, which are easily accessed through mobile technologies, affects the sociological, psychological and personality traits of people. Global reach, becoming a way of doing business, communication, entertainment, education, socialization, meeting new people and providing collaborations are among the motivations for using social media [1,2]. Usage motivations vary from individual to individual. People use social media in a goal-oriented way and they get satisfaction from these uses. The uses and gratifications theory confirms this [3]. In other words, people tend to use the applications they enjoy more, as they feel pleasure. In cases of excessive use, people can stay connected to social media for 4 hours or more a day and this use can harm them and disrupt their daily lives [4,5]. 

It is possible to classify the impact power of social media under two headings: individual effects and social effects. Individual effects can be observed within the scope of the manifestation of social media posts on people’s emotions, thoughts and behaviors. Sometimes, it can create mental preoccupation in cases where it cannot turn into behaviors. This issue is more related to social media psychology. The psychological effects of excessive use of social media can return to people with many negative effects such as preoccupation, emotional deformation, depression, anxiety disorder and narcissism [6,7]. 

When the literature is examined, many problems arising from the excessive use of social media are reported. As the duration of social media use increases, life satisfaction decreases [8]. Again, studies indicate that the daily life of the individual is disrupted when social media use cannot be limited. It is found that insufficient and poor quality sleep, postponement of work, problems with people in social and private life, excessive mental preoccupation, inability to limit use, desire when not in access, repetitive thoughts about limiting internet use [9-16]. There is a need for determinants that will reveal these problems psychometrically, research with different samples and measurement tools. So, direction of the studies has shifted to social media addiction and its measurement [17-23]. 

Since social media applications are accessed over the internet, it is necessary to examine some concepts used to describe excessive internet use behavior in order to understand the subject. Accordingly, many studies conducted with the concepts of internet addiction [24-29], problematic internet use [30,31], pathological internet use [32,33], generalized problematic internet use [34,35]. The concept of internet addiction was first introduced by Goldberg in 1996. Since virtual addictions are not included in the DSM-IV diagnostic list, in which the American Psychiatric Association classifies impulse control disorders not elsewhere classified, such as substance abuse or “pathological gambling”, researchers first chose the adaptation method for diagnosis [36]. Based on the substance addiction criteria in the DSM-IV, Goldberg defines internet addiction as “inappropriate internet use that occurs at any time within a 12 month period, manifests with at least three of the symptoms, and causes clinically significant impairment or distress” Then Young [28] created an 8-item diagnostic list by adapting the diagnostic criteria of internet addiction to the criteria for pathological gambling that is not related to substance use in DSM-IV, and if the person meets 5 of the criteria, the diagnosis can be made. Later researchers expanded their diagnostic lists and formed the core of research on cyber addiction. 

Today, as the symptoms of internet addiction or problematic internet use have started to be seen for widely used social media platforms, studies have emphasized first Facebook addiction [9,37-39] and then general social media addiction [40-42]. Nowadays, experts report that social media addiction is more harmful than alcohol and tobacco addiction, and they even emphasize that the desire to be on social networks is higher than the desire to sleep and rest, and this situation is a social disaster [43,44]. Considering that addiction is an attachment disorder, the function of social media is better understood. The increase in aimless and unhappy individuals who suffer from loneliness in close relationships and experiences has brought virtual reality to the forefront as an object of attachment. Today, when the support of family and social norms has decreased, digital technology has become an object of attachment. This study was planned to analyze the digital age that leads the person to false and temporary pleasure. 

• Social media addiction 

Social media addiction is defined as “a psychological problem that develops with cognitive, affective and behavioral processes and causes problems such as occupation, mood regulation, relapse and conflict in many areas of daily life such as private, work/academic and social areas” [22]. Based on this definition, the first social media addiction scale in Turkey was developed and it was aimed to examine the problems created by social media in all areas of life. It is a 5-point Likert-type measurement tool, consisting of 41 items and 4 factors, that is used to determine the levels of social media addiction [22]. After this study, many scales have been developed on social media in Turkey and internationally. These scales were produced by adapting and developing scales previously developed using internet addiction and other concepts on this subject for social media addiction. When the literature is examined, it is seen that many research and thesis studies have been carried out by applying the developed measurement tools to different groups [45-49]. 

A study examined social media addiction in individuals with other disorders such as ADHD [41]. Another study conducted with 473 high school students examined that the relationship between social media addiction and academic procrastination behavior and the results showed that, a moderate level of social media addiction was found in women and men, and academic procrastination behavior was higher in men due to social media use [50]. 

According to studies, some additional diagnoses are effective in determining social media addiction. Since the duration of daily use alone is not enough, different reasons affecting addiction may vary from person to person. For example, it is stated that young people with narcissistic personality traits are more prone to develop social media addiction [51]. On the other hand, many studies showed that there is a positive relationship between loneliness and social media addiction. As loneliness increases, social media addiction increases [52,53]. On the other hand, in a study reporting that social media has an egocentric structure, it is emphasized that this structure facilitates the formation of social media addiction and makes its excessive use attractive [15]. In addition, some researchers argue that a combination of biological, psychological and social factors, also referred to as a biopsychosocial approach, will contribute to the etiology of addiction and also to social media addiction. In this context, it is seen that social media addiction meets the etiological framework of other substance addictions and behavioral addictions. Thus, it is important to investigate the determinants and additional diagnoses of social media addiction. In addition, the factors that are effective in the formation of social media addiction symptoms are personality traits such as selfishness, introversion/extraversion, neuroticism, narcissism, and extreme conscientiousness, the experience of loneliness, the desire to be liked and demographic characteristics (age, gender, work/school status, private life, social life). By so, there is a need for current studies in which all factors are studied together. 

Social media addiction research is carried out especially with young people. According to Erikson [54], the most basic developmental task of youth is to achieve close relationships with peers of the same or opposite sex. Today, the fact that young people meet this need through social media instead of using face-to-face communication skills has been effective in focusing researchers on young people. In this study, it is focused on the multidimensional examination of social media addiction of high school students.

• Purpose

The aim of the research is to examine the social media addictions of high school students in Üsküdar in terms of various variables. For this purpose, answers to the following research questions were sought. 

• What are the social media addiction levels of high school students?
• Does social media addiction of high school students differ by gender?
• Does social media addiction of high school students differ by grade?
• Does social media addiction of high school students differ according by daily usage time?
• Does social media addiction of high school students differ by the most used social media application?
• Does social media addiction of high school students differ by their like preferences?
• Does social media addiction of high school students differ by their screen viewing habits?
• Does social media addiction of high school students differ by the frequency of sleep disturbances?
• Does social media addiction of high school students differ by the frequency of headaches?
• Does social media addiction of high school students differ by the perception of loneliness?
• What are the social media contents that high school students like/dislike?

• Ethical approval 

This study received ethical approval from the Uskudar University Non-Interventional Research Ethics Committee report number of 61351342/November 2021-22 (29November 2021). This study was performed according to the principles set out by the Declaration of Helsinki for the use of humans in experimental research. 

• Research model 

The aim of the research is to examine the social media addictions of high school students in Üsküdar District of Istanbul in terms of various variables. Therefore, the comparative survey research model was used. According to Karasar, survey research is used to reveal the existing situation in a universe consisting of many elements without the aim of creating a situation change. In the comparative survey model, it is aimed to reveal whether there is a difference between the groups [55]. 

• Participants 

The age range of 1453 high school students participating in the research was between 14 and 18, with an average age of 15,5. 55,7% are women (809 people), 44,3% are men (644 people).7% of the participants are in preparory grade; 28,8% are in 1st grade, 30,1% are in 2nd grade, 26,2% are in 3rd grade, 7,9% are in 4th grade. The schools in Üsküdar included in the research are Haydarpasa Anatolian High School, 15 July Veterans Anatolian High School, Çamlica Girls High School; Kandilli Girls High School, Haydarpasa Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School, Zeynep Kamil Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School, Ayse Hümeyra Ökten Girls Anatolian Imam Hatip High School, Henza Akin Çolakoglu Anatolian Imam Hatip High School. 

• Data collection tools 

The questionnaire which included the Social Media Addiction Scale (SMAS) and a demographic information form were used as data collection tools in the research. 

Demographic Information Form: In the study, demographic characteristics (age, gender, school name), social media habits and preferences (daily usage time, the mostly used social media application, preferences, likes/dislikes, etc.), screen viewing habits, frequency of sleep disturbances, frequency of headaches and loneliness perception information were collected with a personal information form developed by the researchers. 

Social Media Addiction Scale (SMAS): The Social Media Addiction Scale (SMAS) was developed by Tutgun-Ünal and Deniz in 2015 in order to measure people’s social media addiction, and all validity and reliability studies were carried out. Consisting of 41 items and four factors (occupation, mood regulation, relapse, and conflict), SMAS is a 5-point Likert-type scale graded as “Always”, “Often”, “Sometimes”, “Rarely” and “Never” [22]. All factors explained 59% of the total variance in SMAS. The Cronbach Alpha value of the scale was found to be .96. The highest score that can be obtained from the scale is 205, and the lowest score is 41. Sub-scales can be evaluated separately. Items 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 in the measurement tool are related to the “Occupation” dimension and measure the effect of social media on cognitive engagement. Items 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17 in the measurement tool are related to the “Mood Modification” dimension and measure the emotional impact of social media. Items 18, 19, 20, 21 and 22 in the measurement tool are related to the “Relapse” dimension and measure whether the person wants to control social media use or not and continues to use it to the same extent. Items 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40 and 41 in the measurement tool are related to the “Conflict” dimension and measures the impact of the problems that social media causes in a person’s life. 

• Criteria for Inclusion/Exclusion 

While creating the participants in the research, high school students studying in preparatory class and above were included. Students under 14 years of age and those who do not attend high school were not included in the study. 

• Procedures 

Pilot Application: The comprehensibility of the questions was tested by applying the online questionnaire, which was prepared as a data collection tool in the research, to 15 people for trial purposes. Firstly, a trial application was made to high school students. It was determined that no problem was encountered during the pilot application, and then the field application was started. 

Application of Survey: The online questionnaire including Demographic Information Form and SMAS was applied to high school students on a voluntary basis on 1st of January-15th of June 2022, after the approval of the Ethics Committee dated 29 November 2021. For the participants, the questionnaire was shared on digital platforms, via e-mail and sms. Data were collected by applying the online survey on a PC under the supervision of a school administrator and teachers, on a voluntary basis. 

• Data processing and statistical analysis 

The interval obtained by considering the lowest score and the highest score that can be obtained from the SMAS was divided into 5. Thus, addiction levels were rated as “No Addiction”, “Low Addiction”, “Moderate Addiction”, “High Addiction” and “Very High Addiction” [22]. The same procedure was done for the sub-scales. In the statistical analysis of this research, addiction levels according to the scores in table 1 were used. 

Table 1: Social media addiction scale & sub-scales score evaluation. 

SPSS 26.0 statistical program was used in the analysis of the data, and techniques such as frequency analysis, t-test and variance analysis were used.

The data collected from 1453 high school students to whom SMAS was applied are explained in this section with statistical findings within the scope of research questions. While determining the addiction levels of the students, the score distributions in Table 1 were taken into account. 

• Findings regarding the social media addiction levels of high school students 

In this section, analyzes on the level of social media addiction of students studying at high schools in Üsküdar were made in line with the scores obtained from the SMAS total and sub-scales. The results are given in table 2. 

Table 2: Levels of social media addiction. 

When table 2 is examined, it is seen that the average score obtained from the SMAS total is 92.43. Accordingly, low addiction on social media was found among high school students. The average score obtained from the 2-item occupation sub-scale was 31.91, indicating that high school students are moderately dependent on social media in the dimension of occupation. The score obtained from the 5-item mood modification sub-scale was 12.94, indicating that high school students are moderately dependent on social media in mood regulation. The score obtained from the 5-item relapse sub-scale was 10.27, indicating that high school students were less dependent on social media in the relapse dimension. The score obtained from the 19-item conflict sub-scale was 37.55, indicating that high school students were less dependent on social media in the conflict dimension. 

• Findings regarding the differentiation of social media addiction of high school students by gender 

In order to determine whether the social media addictions of high school students differ according to gender, the scores obtained from the social media addiction scale and sub-scales were analyzed with the independent group t-test. The results are given in table 3. 

Table 3: T-test results for the differentiation of social media addiction by gender. 

When table 3 is examined, it has been revealed that high school students’ social media addiction differ (p < 0.05) by gender. Accordingly, social media addiction levels among female students were found to be higher than males in both the total scale and sub-scales. 

• Findings regarding the differentiation of social media addiction of high school students by grade 

In order to determine whether the social media addictions of high school students differ according to the grade, the data were analyzed with a one-way analysis of variance. LSD test was applied for the analysis of the difference between groups. The results are given in table 4. 

Table 4: Variance analysis results for the differentiation of social media addiction by grade. 

When table 4 is examined, it has been revealed that high school students’ social media addiction does not differ (p < 0.05) by grade. Average scores and LSD scores showed that the group with the highest social media addiction is the 1st grade high school students and there is a difference compared to the 3rd grade students. On the other hand, it is seen that the social media addiction of those who go to the preparatory grade differs in the total scale and is at a lower level than those who go to the 1st year. Addiction level increases in the 1st grade (p < 0.05). No differentiation was found according to the grade in the Relapse and Conflict sub-scales (p>0.05). 

• Findings regarding the differentiation of social media addiction of high school students by daily usage time 

In order to determine whether the social media addictions of high school students differ according to the daily usage time, the data were analyzed with a one-way analysis of variance. LSD test was applied for the analysis of the difference between groups. The results are given in table 5. 

Table 5: Variance analysis results for the differentiation of social media addiction by daily. 

When table 5 is examined, it has been revealed that high school students’ social media addiction differs significantly (p < 0.01) according to daily usage time. The results of the LSD analysis showed that as the duration of daily social media use increased, social media addiction also increased. Thus, considering the average scores, it can be said that those who use social media for more than 7 hours a day are more dependent on social media (Moderate addiction) than those who use less than 1 hour, 1-3 hours or 4-6 hours a day (X=120.46). 

• Findings regarding the differentiation of social media addiction of high school students by the most used social media application 

In order to determine whether the social media addictions of high school students differ according to the most used social media application, the data were analyzed with a one-way analysis of variance. LSD test was applied for the analysis of the difference between groups (Table 6). 

Table 6: Variance analysis results for differentiation of social media addiction by the most used social media application. 

When table 6 is examined, it has been revealed that high school students’ social media addiction differ (p < 0.05) by the most used social media application. According to the results of the intergroup difference test, social media addiction in the total and sub-scales of the social media addiction scale was mostly seen in high school students using TikTok (X=101.55). Instagram was observed in second place (X=94.55), followed by YouTube in third place (X=84.87). On the other hand, those who use other social media applications were not included in the comparison test because the number of groups was less than 30. Accordingly, the use of Facebook (n=8), Snap Chat (n=27), Pinterest (n=29) is low among high school students in terms of first-order usage.

• Findings regarding the differentiation of social media addiction of high school students by like preference 

In order to determine whether the social media addictions of high school students differ according to their like preferences, the data were analyzed with a one-way analysis of variance. LSD test was applied for the analysis of the difference between groups. The results are given in table 7. 

Table 7: Variance analysis results for differentiation of social media addiction by like. 

When table 7 is examined, it has been revealed that high school students’ social media addiction differ (p < 0.05) by their like preferences. As a result of the comparison between the groups, the social media addiction of the students who liked by the person was found to be significantly higher than the other groups both in the total scale and in the sub-scales (X=102.08). Social media addiction of those who liked the content was found to be higher than those who did not like (X=93.34). 

• Findings regarding the differentiation of social media addiction of high school students by the number of screen views per hour 

In order to determine whether the social media addictions of high school students differ according to the number of screen views per hour, the data were analyzed with a one-way analysis of variance. LSD test was applied for the analysis of the difference between groups. The results are given in table 8. Accordingly, number of screen views per hour was compared with social media addiction. 

Table 8: Differentiation of social media addiction by the number of screen views per hour. 

When table 8 is examined, it has been revealed that high school students’ social media addiction differ (p < 0.05) by the number of screen views per hour. Social media addiction of those who look at the PC/phone/tablet screen 30-40 times in 1 hour was found to be the highest in the total and sub-scales of the scale compared to those who look at it less (X=113.95). As a result of the intergroup difference tests, as the number of screen views per hour increases in the total scale and in the sub-scales, the level of social media addiction increases. As the number of screen views decreases, the level of social media addiction decreases. Those who said they do not look at the screen in an hour were only 42 and they got the lowest score (X=70.02). 

• Findings regarding the differentiation of social media addiction of high school students by the frequency of sleeping disturbance 

In order to determine whether the social media addictions of high school students differ according to the frequency of sleep disturbance, the data were analyzed with a one-way analysis of variance. LSD test was applied for the analysis of the difference between groups. The results are given in table 9. 

Table 9: Differentiation of social media addiction by frequency of sleeping disturbance. 

When table 9 is examined, it has been revealed that high school students’ social media addiction differ (p < 0.05) by the frequency of sleeping disturbance. According to the differences between groups, it was found that social media addiction increased as the frequency of sleep disturbances increased. Accordingly, the social media addiction level of high school students who state that they have sleep disturbances every day is the highest in the total scale and sub-scales (X=113.60). Those who state that they have a very common sleep disturbance come second (X=107.97). Social media addiction of high school students in both groups is moderate. In other groups, social media addiction is at a low level. 

• Findings regarding the differentiation of social media addiction of high school students by the frequency of headache 

In order to determine whether the social media addictions of high school students differ according to the frequency of headaches, the data were analyzed with a one-way analysis of variance. LSD test was applied for the analysis of the difference between groups. The results are given in table 10. 

Table 10: Differentiation of social media addiction by headache frequency. 

When table 10 is examined, it has been revealed that high school students’ social media addiction differ (p < 0.05) by the frequency of headaches. According to the differences between groups, it was found that as the frequency of headache increased, social media addiction increased. Accordingly, the social media addiction level of high school students who stated that they had a headache every day was the highest in the total scale and sub-scales (X=111.12). Those who stated that they had headaches very often came in the second place (X=103.04). Social media addiction of high school students who state that they have a headache every day is at a moderate level. In other groups, social media addiction is at a low level. 

• Findings regarding the differentiation of social media addiction of high school students by the loneliness perception 

In order to determine whether the social media addictions of high school students differ according to the loneliness perception, the data were analyzed with a one-way analysis of variance. LSD test was applied for the analysis of the difference between groups. The results are given in table 11. 

Table 11: Differentiation of social media addiction by loneliness perception. 

When table 11 is examined, it has been revealed that high school students’ social media addiction differ (p < 0.05) by the loneliness perception. According to the differences between groups, it was found that social media addiction increased as the frequency of perception of loneliness increased. Accordingly, the social media addiction level of high school students who stated that they always felt lonely was the highest in the total scale and in the sub-scales, and it remained at a moderate level (X=112.95). In addition, it is noteworthy that the number of high school students who stated that they felt lonely often, very often and constantly was quite high (n=558). 

• Findings regarding the analysis of high school students’ liked/disliked contents on social media 

The content that high school students like and dislike on social media has been tested with frequency analysis. The results are given in table 12. It has been revealed that high school students mostly like video/music content (78%), followed by selfie and multiple photos (64.3%), and then sports content (41.7%). The other contents were found to be below 40%. 

Table 12: Frequency analysis of liked/disliked contents on social media. 

When the content that high school students do not like on social media is examined, “Innuendo” ranks first (65.2%). This is followed by “Politics” (40.9%) in the second place and “Quotes/Thinker sayings” (32.9%) in the third place. As a result, the fact that the content that high school students like on social media is mostly on visual (photo) and multi-media (video/music) is determinant in the social media application preferences they use most (Instagram, Youtube, TikTok). 

Finally; in the examinations made in 8 practice schools in Üsküdar with the social media addiction scale, it was found that social media addiction differed from school to school (p < 0.05).Although the comparison between schools is not directly included in the aims of the research, according to the one-way analysis of variance analysis, the social media addiction of the students of Girls Anatolian Imam Hatip High School (X=101.4),was found to be the highest compared to students from other types of high schools (p < 0.05). This result supported the result of the “social media addiction of female students higher than male students” obtained in the analyzes made by gender. Social media addiction of the Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School students included in the study in the second place was found to be high (X=98.1). The scale scores of students attending other types of high schools did not make any difference and were found close to each other, SMAS total scores ranged between 97.6 and 84.5.

With the increase in the use of social media, technology dependent use also increases. In previous studies, it has been emphasized that social media addicted has negative consequences such as decreased production, unhealthy social relations and decreased life satisfaction [56]. In this context, it is important to understand how social media addiction develops in order to develop preventive education programs, although there are supportive results in new researches. At this point, while applying social media addiction scales in research, it is necessary to question additional symptoms such as frequent screen viewing, sleep disturbances, headaches, perception of loneliness, use of goal orientation to reach liked content and related pleasure. 

The research was conducted with 1453 high school students in Üsküdar District of Istanbul Province in Turkey. According to the results obtained with SMAS, social media addiction of high school student students was found at a low level. However, in the analyzes made according to the SMAS dimensions, the social media addiction level was found to be moderate in the occupation and mood modification dimensions. The dependence on relapse and conflict dimensions was found to be low. At this point, it is understood that the total score in social media addiction measures does not alone predict the level of social media addiction. 

In the examinations made by gender, social media addiction of female students was found to be higher than male students. There are some studies in the scientific literature confirming this result. It is also understood from previous studies that social media addiction of is related to mood regulation, especially due to their personal characteristics and their desire to be liked by the same sex and the opposite sex. The fact that women do more filtering and engage while sharing photos on visual social networking sites such as Instagram also increases their occupation. And when they get likes, they naturally regulate their mood. Thus, there is more excessive use and addiction to social media than men [57]. 

In another study conducted with 9173 adolescents (12-19 years) in which a relationship was found between the frequency of use of social networking sites and addiction criteria, it was reported that there was a relationship especially with the loss of occupation and control [58]. In this study, as the duration of daily use increases, the result of the increase in social media addiction has supported this result. The increase in social media addiction of high school students who use social media for more than 7 hours a day and their moderate level of addiction confirms this. 

The most used social media application was also questioned in the research and it was examined. Accordingly, it has been revealed that high school students who use TikTok are more addicted to social media than those who use Instagram and Youtube. Since Tik Tok offers short videos, interactions and sharing, it takes them a lot of time to prepare the environment for people to shoot videos, create a fiction for themselves and accordingly play themselves or their surroundings in this video. Considering these features, the frequent repetition of these stages by the adolescents who use Tik Tok regularly increases their social media addiction. The fact that the second and third most preferred social media applications are Instagram and Youtube shows that high school students spend more time on social media applications with visual features. It can be said that the use of Facebook is almost non-existent among high school students (n=8). 

In the “Social Media Use in 2018” research conducted with young Americans aged 18-24, it was reported that social media use increased exponentially, and it was reported that Facebook and Youtube use in adults increased to 68% and 73% [59]. In this study, the low use of Facebook by 1453 high school student adolescents between the ages of 14-18 draws attention as a result consistent with different countries. However, it should not be overlooked that the choice of social media may differ from country to country and that different countries have their own social networks. 

The other research result is related to like preferences. Some of the high school students like the content shared on social media according to the person. In other words, since it’s your friend’s share, it does not matter what the content is. This behavior is not suitable for social media literacy. Because the content may be inappropriate, contain false information and may bring many more ethical problems. When the comparison was made by including the option of “Reading the content, browsing and liking it if it is appropriate” in the research, the social media addiction of those who liked according to the person showed a significant difference and was found to be the highest. In addition, the addiction level of those who preferred the option “I do not like, I just browse” was found to be the lowest. Thus, it can be taken into account in new research that the behavior of making likes to gain likes may be a predictor of social media addiction. 

Whether the use of social networking sites is associated with addiction symptoms and psychosocial distress, and which variables (demography, personality) predict addiction use is still a subject of research [58,60]. In this study, high school students were asked about the frequency of screen viewing, the frequency of headaches, the frequency of sleep disturbances and the perception of loneliness, in order to give an idea about some symptoms. When each symptom was categorized, it was observed that the level of social media addiction increased as the frequency increased. According to the results obtained, it was revealed that high school students looked at the digital screen 30-40 times in 1 hour (n=158). The social media addiction score of this group was also found to be the highest (X=113.95). In the second place is the group that looks at the screen 20-30 times in 1 hour (X=103,17). Thus, it was revealed that the level of social media addiction increased as the screen viewing time increased within 1 hour. 

When asked about the frequency of sleep disturbances, the amount of those who stated that they experience this very often and often every day (n=497) is also remarkable. However, the number of the group saying “sometimes” was also quite high (n=741). Just taking these numbers into account can be considered a remarkable result. Accordingly, it was found that social media addiction increased significantly as the frequency of sleep disturbances increased. The group that has sleep disorders every day has the highest SMAS score (X=113.60). 

Headache is included in the research as a serious symptom. This is an important problem that can also affect academic achievement in the high school student group [61]. When asked about the frequency of headaches in the study, it was quite high (n=863) who said sometimes. It is not a small number of people who say very often and often every day (n=392). Further, it was observed that social media addiction increased significantly as the frequency of headache increased. When the question of “How often do you feel lonely?” is asked, those who say “always” are 226, and those who say always+veryoften+often are 558. In the comparison, it was revealed that as the perception of loneliness increased, the level of social media addiction increased significantly. This result is also found in many studies investigating the relationship between loneliness and social media addiction [62-64]. Modeling the symptoms included in the research together in new studies with adolescent groups will be effective in determining the predictors of social media addiction. The results of this research have the potential to suggest new studies to be done. 

Finally, the fact that different results were obtained in the sample groups where social media addiction studies were conducted, despite being in the same region, shows that generalizations in terms of social media addiction should be avoided. This research was conducted in 8 different types of high school schools located in Üsküdar District of Istanbul Province in Turkey, and it was revealed that the social media addiction levels of high school students in these schools differ. Especially in the high school where only female students study, the highest level of social media addiction was found to be consistent with the result of the comparison made with SMAS according to gender. This result suggests that the level of social media addiction may be high in schools where girls are predominant. On the other hand, in some generational studies conducted by dividing into age groups, it is emphasized that some differences were detected in the samples of the same age, located in the same district or even a street away, and generalizations should be avoided [65,66]. Values, behaviors, habits, cultures may be similar and give an idea about the general, but small groups and individual studies should not be overlooked. Individual studies and preventive treatments are of vital importance, especially in psychological studies such as addiction.

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