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Research Paper | Psychology | Volume 15 Issue 8, August 2026 | Pages: 1466 - 1470 | India
A Study on the Psychological and Behavioural Impact of Social Media among Young Adults
Abstract: Social media has become an integral part of everyday life, particularly among young adults, providing opportunities for communication, education, entertainment, and social interaction. While these platforms offer several benefits, excessive and uncontrolled use has been associated with psychological distress, behavioural changes, distraction, reduced academic performance, and altered emotional well-being. The present study examines the psychological and behavioural impact of social media among young adults aged 18 to 30 years. A quantitative, cross-sectional descriptive research design was adopted. Data were collected from young adults using a structured self-administered questionnaire delivered via Google Forms. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (frequencies, percentages, means, standard deviations) and inferential statistical methods (independent-samples-test, one-way ANOVA, and Pearson?s correlation analysis). Results revealed that active social media usage is near-universal (98.6%) within this demographic. Neither gender nor area of residence produced statistically significant differences in psychological, behavioural, or overall scores. However, social media usage significantly affected behavioural scores (), with active users exhibiting higher interactive and behavioural engagement () compared to non-users (). Pearson?s correlation analysis demonstrated a strong positive correlation between psychological and behavioural scores (), as well as near-perfect correlations between overall scores and both psychological () and behavioural () dimensions. These findings indicate that while social media adoption primarily influences interactive daily habits rather than baseline mental distress, psychological well-being and adaptive behavioural expressions strongly reinforce one another.
Keywords: Social media impact, psychological well-being, behavioural habits, young adults, digital engagement, cross-sectional study
How to Cite?: Pathagunta Vijayalakshmi, Dr. Mekhala Venkatesh, "A Study on the Psychological and Behavioural Impact of Social Media among Young Adults", Volume 15 Issue 8, August 2026, International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR), Pages: 1466-1470, https://www.ijsr.net/getabstract.php?paperid=MR26821112307, DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.21275/MR26821112307