Between Clicks and Care: Investigating Social Media Addiction and Work Engagement Among Nurses in Saudi Arabia

Background/Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between social media networking addiction (SMNA) and work engagement (WE) among nurses at a government hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, as well as to assess the overall levels of SMNA and WE within this population. Methods: A quantitative, correlational, cross-sectional design was employed with an online survey instrument, involving 283 nurses from the government hospital. The data were analyzed using SPSS software version 26. Results: Nurses exhibited low levels of SMNA and average levels of WE. A negative relationship was identified between SMNA and WE. Conclusions: The findings indicate that SMNA influences various dimensions of WE differently. A significant negative relationship was observed between SMNA and the dimensions of vigor, absorption, and overall WE. However, SMNA did not significantly impact the dedication dimension, which emerged as the highest-scoring aspect among nursing professionals. Therefore, this study recommends raising awareness among nurses regarding the detrimental impact that excessive social media usage can have on their professional responsibilities and mental health, the implementation of clear social media usage guidelines, regular assessment of the trends in social media usage among nurses and the introduction of educational programs to raise awareness and promote responsible usage.