Effect of Social Media Addiction towards Sleeping Pattern and Knowledge Acquisition among Nursing Students

In recent decades, social media has revolutionised the landscape. Individuals employ social media to obtain Knowledge and information instantaneously. For students, persistent engagement with social media or addiction may produce adverse effects. Social media has become essential to our daily lives, providing various benefits across multiple areas. Social media can indirectly foster addiction, as students often engage with it for prolonged durations. This study examines the impact of social media addiction on nursing students' sleep patterns and knowledge acquisition. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study included 284 University Kuala Lumpur (RCMP) nursing students studying bachelor's and diploma programs in Ipoh, Perak. The self-administered questionnaire included demographics, the social media addiction scale, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and knowledge acquisition assessments. Correlational statistical analyses assessed variable relationships. Results: There was a weak and statistically non-significant positive correlation between social media addiction and student sleep patterns (Pearson's r = 0.019, p = 0.749), indicating no meaningful relationship. In contrast, a moderate and statistically significant positive correlation was observed between social media addiction and knowledge acquisition (Pearson's r = 0.568, p < 0.001), suggesting a reliable association between increased social media use and higher knowledge acquisition. Conclusion: The study elucidates the complex interconnections between social media addiction, sleep patterns, and knowledge acquisition among Universiti Kuala Lumpur Royal College of Medicine Perak (UniKL RCMP) nursing students. Social media addiction does impact knowledge acquisition but does not affect sleep quality. To avoid over-reliance, educational institutions may consider using social media as an additional learning resource while promoting moderate usage.