Social Media Engagement and Academic Performance among University Students: The Moderating Role of Self-Regulation

Abstract

There Social media is now an integral part of the university life; however, there are conflicting debates regarding the impacts regarding academic achievement. The study focused on the impact of social media use on the academic achievement of university students and the effect of self-regulation on the above-mentioned relationship. A cross-sectional quantitative design was used and 350 undergraduate students were used in the data collection process using a structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation, multiple regression, and Hayes' PROCESS Model 1 were used, and age, gender, academic level and field of study were used as control variables. The findings indicated that social media engagement negatively correlated with academic performance while self-regulation positively correlated with academic performance. The relationship was significantly moderated by self-regulation: the negative association of engagement was greatest for students with low self-regulation and was not significant for students with high self-regulation. Based on the findings, academic risk of social media is not just related to the use of social media, but also students' ability to do their homework, focus, and remove themselves from the distractions of social media. This study provides practical applications to universities, educators, and learners for maximizing the use of social media without sacrificing achievement.