Social media disorder symptoms and violence tendency among adolescents: A cross-sectional study

Violence is a global public health problem. Social media addiction may affect the psychological and social health of adolescents. This study aimed to measure social media disorder and violence tendency, and to identify predisposing factors of these behavioral problems in adolescents.

A cross-sectional design was adopted. The target population consisted of adolescents (aged 14-17 years) attending two high schools in the city center of Türkiye. The study was completed with 904 adolescents. Data were collected using a personal information form, the Social Media Disorder Scale Short Form for Adolescents, and the Violence Tendency Scale.

Of the adolescents, 25.6% were addicted to social media, and 60.3% had a high tendency toward violence. Adolescents who had a high tendency toward violence (2.1 times) were more likely to be addicted to social media. Adolescents who had social media disorder (2 times) were more likely to have a tendency toward violence.

The current study revealed that one out of every four adolescents was addicted to social media, and more than half of the adolescents had a high tendency toward violence. There was a positive association between tendency toward violence and social media addiction. Academic level, gender, and daily social media use duration were commonly associated with both social media addiction and tendency toward violence.