Screen-Time Realities: Mapping the Usage of Social Network Sites by the North-Indian College Students

Social Networking Sites (SNSs) are at the centre of attraction for young generations, such as college students. Researchers and professionals are also fond of exploring this area due to their increasing impacts on society. Awareness, preferences, the type of information shared, usage or screen time, the level of academic distractions, and major problems in accessing SNS are discussed in this study. The data has been collected from approximately 37 colleges of North India, and specially from the students of the department of Science, Arts, and Social Science fields through a random sampling method. Almost 450 printed questionnaires were distributed, and about 310 was finalized as a valid sample. Findings of the study reveal that Instagram and YouTube are the most popular sites, which are mainly used for entertainment and keeping in touch with friends and family members. In contrast, Blog, Flickr, and Google+ are relatively unpopular among the students. Students reported spending an average time of 2 to 5 hours on screens each day, whereas the majority of them face moderate to high academic distraction due to SNS use. Areas of concern also involve issues related to privacy, security, and spread of misinformation. This evidences the need for digital literacy programs and responsible use of social media to help overcome these challenges.