Social Media Usage for Medical Education and Smartphone Addiction Among Medical Students: National Web-Based Survey

Social media (SoMe) have taken a major place in the medical field, and younger generations are increasingly using them as their primary source to find information.

This study aimed to describe the use of SoMe for medical education among French medical students and assess the prevalence of smartphone addiction in this population.

A cross-sectional web-based survey was conducted among French medical students (second to sixth year of study). The questionnaire collected information on SoMe use for medical education and professional behavior. Smartphone addiction was assessed using the Smartphone Addiction Scale Short-Version (SAS-SV) score.

A total of 762 medical students responded to the survey. Of these, 762 (100%) were SoMe users, spending a median of 120 (IQR 60-150) minutes per day on SoMe; 656 (86.1%) used SoMe for medical education, with YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook being the most popular platforms. The misuse of SoMe in a professional context was also identified; 27.2% (207/762) of students posted hospital internship content, and 10.8% (82/762) searched for a patient's name on SoMe. Smartphone addiction was prevalent among 29.1% (222/762) of respondents, with a significant correlation between increased SoMe use and SAS-SV score (r=0.39, 95% CI 0.33-0.45; P<.001). Smartphone-addicted students reported a higher impact on study time (211/222, 95% vs 344/540, 63.6%; P<.001) and a greater tendency to share hospital internship content on social networks (78/222, 35.1% vs 129/540, 23.8%; P=.002).

Our findings reveal the extensive use of SoMe for medical education among French medical students, alongside a notable prevalence of smartphone addiction. These results highlight the need for medical schools and educators to address the responsible use of SoMe and develop strategies to mitigate the risks associated with excessive use and addiction.