Name: Shravan Krishna Agrawal
Country: India

Year: 2026
Volume: Vol-11, No.2, July-Dec-2026
Page Number: 368-380
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23586982

Social media has become deeply intertwined into the everyday lives of everyone, raising concerns about compulsive and problematic patterns of use. This study examines the prevalence, sociological correlates and consequences of social media addiction among young population in India. A cross-sectional survey design was employed with a sample of 420 youth aged (15-24 years). The dataset analysed in this paper is a prepare dataset modelled on the distributions, prevalence rates and variable structures reported in recent published Indian studies (2010-2026). The dataset has been used here as an analytical demonstration and was explicitly labelled. Social media addiction was measured with a Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS)-type score (range 6-30). Data were analysed using frequencies, percentages, means, standard deviations, Chi-square tests, independent-samples t-tests, one-way ANOVA, Pearson correlations, multiple linear regression and binary logistic regression. The prevalence of social media addiction was 19.3%. Mean daily usage was 3.73 hours (SD=2.16) and 61.0% of respondents reported night-time use. Addiction prevalence was significantly higher among females (24.3%) than males (14.7%) (χ² =5.58, p=0.018, V=0.12) and among night-time users (23.8% vs. 12.2%; χ²=7.96, p=0.005, V = 0.14). Addiction scores correlated positively with daily hours (r=0.41), anxiety (r = 0.43), fear of missing out (r = 0.37), family conflict (r = 0.29), and social isolation (r = 0.25), and negatively with academic score (r= −0.43), sleep duration (r=−0.37) and self-esteem (r=−0.17). Multiple regression explained 29.3% of variance in addiction scores, with daily hours (β=0.649), number of platforms (β =0.600), night-time use (β=1.268), and peer influence (β=0.509) as significant predictors. Logistic regression identified night-time use (OR=2.88), number of platforms (OR=1.95), female gender (OR=1.78) and daily hours (OR=1.35) as significant risk factors. No significant differences emerged across residence, socioeconomic status, family type, or educational level. Conclusions: Social media addiction among Indian youth is driven primarily by behavioral and relational factors-intensity of use, night-time engagement, platform multiplicity and peer influence-rather than by classical structural divides of class, residence, or family form, pointing to a democratisation of digital risk. The findings carry significant implications for families, educational institutions, peer cultures, and youth policy in India.

Keywords: Social Media Addiction; Social Media Use; Bhartiya Youth; Peer Influence; Academic Performance; Mental Health; Sociology.