Evaluating the Effects of Social Media on the Mental Health of DLSU-IS - Laguna Campus Grade 12 Students

Social media has become an integral part of the twenty-first century. Today, adolescents are one of the fastest-growing age groups for social media usage. Previous research has shown that mental health is one of the factors that is affected by the use of social media. Mental health is an individual’s state of mind which includes their social, psychological, and emotional well-being. The purpose of this study is to determine if there is no difference in the mental health among social media users of Senior High School (SHS) students at De La Salle University - Integrated School (DLSU-IS) Laguna campus between male and female, STEM and non-STEM, below 18 and 18 and above, and social media usage. An online survey was administered containing the Mental Health Inventory (MHI-38) to attain a numerical score of the mental health of social media users, as well as a section to determine usage hours on social media platforms–Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. Using T-Test, the researchers found no significant difference between males and females, STEM and non-STEM, and between below 18 and 18 and above social media users’ mean MHI-38 scores. Furthermore, with the use of ANOVA, the researchers found no significant difference in the MHI-38 scores of social media users based on their Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok usage