Abstract

This research study aims to investigate and identify the impact of social media platforms used by the youth in Pakistan. Results show that nearly 8 out of 10 respondents daily visit these platforms and 60% spend 1-3 hours daily on SM. 62% of respondents accepted that social media replaced face-to-face communication, leading to a lack of social interaction and a fear of missing out. Cyberbullying resulted in anxiety, fear, depression, low self-esteem, and behavioural issues. To address these impacts, stakeholders should focus on quality communication and interaction, organize and support social events, and inform parents that their cellphone use and personal conduct have changed into a context with bad contact with their children.

Key Words

Social Media, Human Behaviour, Youth Behaviour, Pakistan, Risks, Impact

Introduction

Over the last few years, the internet drastically changed for its qualitative as well quantitative expansion. The significant cause of this fast growth of the internet has been social networks and their users. These social networks provide the convenience of sharing content with their users. This content may consist of ideas, beliefs, experiences, opinions, and even feelings in terms of personal, social, and educational diversities.

Another attraction of these social networks which becomes the backbone of their adoption is that they allow communication at a global level targeting a wide range of audiences. Facebook, Instagram, Skype, Twitter, and WhatsApp are the major platforms providing virtual social networks.

A research review illustrates that the use of SM can positively influence behavioural well-being. This affects juveniles and youth by providing them with a sense of support specifically in their positive emotions and feelings. Users of social media may be able to locate users who share their hobbies. They may gather supportive comments and likes for their thoughts and deeds, in this way they can build compassion and find a community that is grappling with similar issues Spies (Shapiro and Margolin, 2014). 

Besides the positive impact, substantial research was reviewed and inclined in concentrating on the probable adverse effects of SM that can cause behaviour impairment. Many research studies pointed out the adverse impact on mental fitness that leads to some psychological issues in the form of negative behaviour. Current literature cites the very first in the list of issues as the lack of quality sleep duration which is more alarming in the young generation (Reid Chassiakos et al., 2016). 

A research gap is found in detecting the positive and adverse influences of visual SM platforms like YouTube and Snapchat on human behaviour more specifically the young age users. Parent care and association have always been recognized as a tool for the development of adolescents' and youth's views of self-recognition, and declining undesirable life comparisons (Bano et al., 2019). This study targets to enhance awareness of the impacts that SM platforms have on youth behaviour and how to address these impacts.




Statement of the Problem

Technical development is accelerating quickly. Although technology has many advantages, improper use could be harmful. Without adult supervision, it is more exciting and experimental for the younger populace. Technology made social media a useful instrument. Although young people do occasionally abuse it. Major changes in young adults' social lives and conduct were brought about by its prolonged use. “The effects of social media on human conduct must be researched. The present study determined the effects of youth social media use on behaviour and addressed the problem.




Significance and Scope of the Study

The purpose of this research project is to examine and evaluate the effects of the social media platforms used by Pakistani youth (15 to 24 years old). the influence on human conduct, both positively and negatively. The purpose of the study is to ascertain how young people use social media in their daily activities. to identify the dangers that social media use poses to young people's conduct and strategies for dealing with those dangers.”

The study's focus is restricted to how Pakistani youth perceive and use the most “popular social media sites, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snap Chat, and YouTube”. The research has time and financial constraints. since there haven't been many studies of this kind, particularly in schools of higher learning. There is little actual research on how social media affects behaviour change. Another potential drawback is that because of the invasion of their privacy, the youth might be unable to provide accurate information. They are informed and satisfied with the reason behind the information collected for this study by the researcher. which has nothing to do with personal interests and is only for academic reasons.

Review of the Literature

In early 1997, the very first professionally built social media platform was launched. Facebook launched in 2004, Twitter in 2006, and Instagram was started in 2010 after that, these platforms emerged as social media (Maryville University, 2020). Currently, social media networks are regular use by 3.196 billion people worldwide (Dean, 2021). There were 46.00 million social media users in Pakistan in 2021. “One of the developing nations where the internet and social media have expanded significantly in Pakistan”. By 2020–21, social media usage will have grown by 9.0 million. In Pakistan, the proportion of social media users to the overall population was equal to 21% in 2021 (Kemp, 2021).

Additionally, social media sites like Facebook give people access to internet users outside of their immediate social circle. Users are permitted to access new information and chances here, including employment and new social connections (Skoric and Tomasevic, 2011).

The benefits of using social media are usually defined in research studies. Do not, however, name the social media site that has the most particular advantages for well-being and general human behaviour. Active social media users also claim greater levels of current affairs knowledge (Allcott et al., 2018). “It was discovered that a young person who gets six hours of sleep each night may be three times more likely to think about or try suicide. Though other studies have found an inter-relation of lack of sleep with mental health in terms of anxiety, annoyance, drug addiction, and most commonly” found depression. Image-driven interactive social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram also result in an increased level of anxiety and depression (Woods and Scott, 2016). Cyberbullying is a more strong cause of suicidal attempts than bullying done face-to-face (Cynthia Van Hee et al., 2018). It is well-known that the young population conveyed low levels of self-recognition after passively surfing SM websites like Facebook and Instagram (Guedes et al., 2016) and found that surfing SM updates positively correlated with some kind of nervousness called fear of missing out or FoMO.

Two different thoughts of users come up using social media in different ways. Youth who limit themselves to self-directed use of social media gets to benefit from the advantageous effect of internet use. However, youngsters who simply view and respond to different kinds of posts from other users have to face different issues like getting unwanted reviews and dislikes on their reply posts etc. This can be a cause of a fall in self-esteem. Besides this, some peer encounters and conflicts in social media can also be a risk for young age users.

Another element of social media networks is the rise in cybercrimes. It has been widely reported that victims of such crimes have higher rates of suicidal behaviour and anxiety-related problems, which can lead to self-harm and other health risks (Sumner, Bowen and Bartholow, 2019).

A study on social media influence, conducted at GC Women University Sialkot, found both positive and negative impacts on Youth. Almost everyone has an account on these social network websites. “These massive login accounts and their sign-in data revealed that 30% of respondents spend 3–4 hours using social media apps, and 45% of respondents spend 1–2 hours doing so”.

Definitely, the Internet provides free-lancing opportunities and a huge number of people get job opportunities. Besides this, a large user group is associated with the field of learning and teaching and the Internet is the global platform providing this facility. However, the negative effects of social media sites on users, such as mental stress, headaches, cyberbullying, time waste, and other negative effects on human behaviour, can lead to a damaged psyche and negative emotions. Ultimately it severely affects human physical and mental health and particularly the most active users our students get disruptions in their education (Rabia et al., 2020). The results reveal that 67% of respondents agreed that social media is the major cause of students' valuable time waste activity (IJIP, n.d.). 

Social networking sites have a significant effect on students' academic performance, according to a Lahore University study. The use of social media applications disrupts students' study habits because it is a time-waster, which eventually detracts from their careers. “According to the research, SNS use has a significant negative impact on the academic performance of university students in Lahore, Pakistan.




Popular Social Networking Sites

Facebook

A free social networking site that lets registered users set up profiles, post pictures and videos, and exchange messages.




Twitter

A free microblogging platform that lets users broadcast tweets, or short messages, to their followers.




Instagram

A free online tool that enables users to post, edit, and share photos via email, social media sites, and the Instagram website.




YouTube

Users of this website can post, watch, rate, share, add videos to their favourites, report, and comment on videos, as well as subscribe to other users”.

Method

The methodology includes quantitative and qualitative approaches, to cover such a largely behavioural issue. The literature review is carried out from secondary sources and survey reports. A quantitative survey was conducted along with In-depth Interviews (IDIs) of media specialists and the general youth community (women and men) have been conducted to dig out the detailed underlying reasons.  The process for conducting IDIs has followed the same general process as is followed for other research which includes planning interviews, preparing an IDI guide, collecting and analyzing data, and reporting findings. Simple frequencies were used to analyse the sociodemographic information of survey participants, their opinions and experiences with regard to the amount of time they spent using social media, the platforms they frequently visited, the friendships and personal information they shared, and the effects this had on their social interactions and behaviour.




Sample

In order to choose participants from the community, convenience sampling was used. 50 masculine and female individuals between the ages of 15 and 24 made up the sample. They came from Rawalpindi, Pakistan. There were six in-depth interviews with young people, both males and women. A media expert from a well-known TV station participated in one IDI as well.  




Organization of the Paper

First, this paper sits at the introduction, statement of the problem, and scope with the intersection between social media and human behaviour well-being. Secondly, it ponders upon the situation analysis including a literature review globally, at the national and regional level was enfolded about social media use and youth behaviour. Key issues are identified. Further, In-Depth Interviews (IDIs) were conducted with media specialists and the community. Later IDIs were transcribed and related to the issue. Finally, the recommendations coming out of conclusions and findings are submitted for addressing the issue. 




Socio-Demographic Characteristics of Survey Respondents

The survey data are obtained from the youth. Among men and women, the percentage peaks at the age group 20-24. Thirty-six per cent of men and 44% of women are under age 20 (Figure 1).  Only 8% of men and 20% of women are married. 40% versus 20%, respectively, of men have greater levels of education (Figure 2). More women than men are unemployed before the survey (76% versus 68%). 24% of women and 32% of men reported current employment. Figure 3 depicts that the majority of men and women are engaged in teaching at this young age (Table 1).

Figure 1
Age of Respondents

Figure 2
Education of Respondents

Figure 3
Occupation of Respondents

Table 1
Background Information about Participants

Per cent distribution of males and women between the ages of 15 and 24 according to a few background factors.
Background Characteristics		Male=N	Percentage	Female=N	Percentage
Age	15-19	9	36	11	44
	20-24	16	64	14	56
Education	Higher Secondary	9	36	11	44
	Graduation	6	24	9	36
	Higher	10	40	5	20
Marital Status	Married	2	8	5	20
	Unmarried	23	92	20	80
Employment Status	Employed	8	32	6	24
	Unemployed	17	68	19	76
Occupation	School Teacher	2	17	4	67
	Accountant	1	17	0	0
	Tutor	4	50	2	33
	Business	1	17	0	0

 




Social Media Access

Social Media Usage

The innovation in the digital world is social platforms, which have grown into media entertainment hubs and evolved as digital communication networks. Survey participants were questioned about their use of social media and how frequently they used it in order to further determine whether their behaviour had changed as a consequence.




 

Table 2.

Social Media Access by Respondents

Percent Distribution of Youth Aged 15-24 by their Social Media Access.
Use of Social Media Platforms		Total=N	Percentage
Most Common Used social media	Facebook	21	42.0
	Twitter	2	4.0
	Instagram	8	16.0
	YouTube	18	36.0
	Others	1	2.0
Time Passed Using Media	<1 Year	2	4.0
	1-2 Years	13	26.0
	3-4 Years	15	30.0
	5 years and >	20	40.0
Frequency of visiting of SM Platform	Everyday	39	78.0
	Once a Week	3	6.0
	Twice a Week	7	14.0
	Once a Month	1	2.0
Daily Usage	1-3 hours	30	60.0
	4-6 hours	11	22.0
	7-9 hours	8	16.0
	10 and more	1	2.0

 




However, Facebook dominates all other networks in terms of time invested and media usage. The respondents' use of social media networks is depicted in Figure 4. The ratios of media” consumption demonstrate just how overwhelmingly dominant Facebook is in terms of user engagement among men and women (Table 2).

Figure 4

Most Commonly used Social Media Platforms



Time Spent on Social Media Platforms”

The survey findings showed that 40% of the sample's respondents had used social media for more than five years, and 30% had been using it for three to four years”. One-fourth (26%) of the respondents have been using social media for the last 1-2 years (Figure 5). 

 




Figure 5

Time passed using Social Media Platforms


The majority of them spent 1-3 hours (60%) daily on SM followed by 4 to 6 hours (22%), 7 to 9 hours (16%), and 10 and more hours spent per day on SM by only 2% respondents (Figure 6). Nearly 8 out of 10 respondents reported that they daily visited these platforms while only 2% visited the sites once a month (Figure 7).
 




Figure 6
Daily usage of Social Media Platforms


Figure 7

Frequency of Visiting of Social Media Plateform



Table 3

Friends and Personal Information

Per cent distribution of youth aged 15-24 according to their friends, personal information, and views about social media.
Friends and Personal Information		Total=N	Percentage
Friends on the social media platforms	Less than 100	5	10.0
	100 to 200	31	62.0
	More than 300	14	28.0
Accept Friends Request from strangers	Yes Always	5	10.0
	Sometimes	10	20.0
	Rarely	24	48.0
	Never	11	22.0
Information on social media platforms' profile	Real Name	8	3.6
	Date of Birth	10	4.5
	Mobile/Contact No./ Address	13	5.8
	Email	37	16.5
	Status	38	17.0
	Picture	45	20.1
	Videos	27	12.1
	Interests	46	20.5
Reasons to use social media platforms	To make new Friends”	29	12.8
	To keep in touch with family and friends”	49	21.6
	To share videos/ pictures/ music”	46	20.3
	To share your experience	34	15.0
	To find information	41	18.1
	To play games	28	12.3
Social media platforms are important	Strongly agree	39	76.5
	Agree	11	21.6
	Disagree	1	2.0
	Strongly disagree	0	0.0
Reasons behind the attraction of these platforms	Friends	44	21.8
	Chatting	43	21.3
	Looks & Layout	8	4.0
	User Friendly	45	22.3
	Games	28	13.9
	Security	29	14.4
	Others	5	2.5
Parents aware of social media activities	Yes	39	79.6
	No	10	20.4
Effect of Social Media on Teaching & Learning	No Effect	2	4.1
	Negative Effect	6	12.2
	Very Negative Effect	5	10.2
	Positive Effect	21	42.9
	Very Positive Effect	15	30.6




More than half of survey participants (56%) said they have between 100 and 200 acquaintances. Less than 3 out of 10 respondents (28%)  have more than 300 friends on social media platforms. Ten per cent of the respondents have less than 100 friends on their list (Figure 8). Youth admitted that they rarely receive "Friend Requests" on social media from strangers (48%). Twenty-two per cent never accept any unknown “Friend Request”. Twenty per cent admitted that sometimes they accept unknown “Friend Request”. While 10% of the respondents always accept strangers' "Friend Requests” on social media (Table 3).

Figure 8

Friends on Social Media Platforms






Figure 9

Profile Shard on Social Media Platforms 


According to the survey's findings, respondents post their actual names, dates of birth, phone numbers, emails, and status updates on social media, along with images, videos, and interests (Figure 9). When asked about the advantages of using social media, 21.6% said that it allows them to stay in contact with friends and family, and 20% said they use it to share music, pictures, and videos with their peers. While 18 % used social media for getting information (Figure 10). The respondents have a view that social media has a strong position in their lives. 76.5% accepted the importance of social media and the reasons behind this attraction are that these platforms are user-friendly (22.3%), connect them with friends through chatting (21.3%), and have new friends (21.8)(Table 3).


Figure 10
Reasons to use social media platforms
The information shows that the SM can be used as a tool for learning and instructing in educational settings. Regarding the benefit of social media, 42.9% of respondents indicated that it enhances teaching and learning. 4.1% of them believe there is no impact. “While 12.2% believe that social media has a detrimental impact on education” (Table 3).

Social Media Platforms and Social Behavior

SM is not every time an online distraction or deferment platform. While some users find social media networks as the ultimate way to stay informed. The majority of newsgroups, businesses, and people use SM to communicate with the general public. They keep their intended audience updated with prompt posts. Although some parents view this SM as harmful to their kids, in some circumstances, it actually guarantees that some good comes from having social media accounts (Atwan, Lushing and Andrews, 2008). Teenagers should have the same level of worry and knowledge as adults (Barker, 2009). Teenagers can adhere to the rules and principles they hold dear by using SM. Even though they feel like outsiders in society, it provides them with a sense of bonding and belonging (Panagiotes Anastasiades, Zaranis and Springerlink (Online Service, 2017). 

A rise has been observed in the use of SM by youngsters as the findings show that 40% of the respondents are teenagers using SM sites. These poll results show that young people use social media almost daily. Observations lead to the conclusion that maintaining contact and exerting impact on these networks through frequent visits were the primary goals of using SM platforms. According to the data collected through the quantitative tool, most young age persons prefer using social media applications and they spent their valuable time hours surfing different websites. Statistics of the study show that Facebook is very popular among youth.

The research showed that young age users are the most affected group by social media as SM has an attraction like these platforms allow making friends among large communities. Additionally, give them a place to express their ideas and a useful method to relieve the stress they experience in daily life. It undoubtedly has an impact on young people's lives, including their social activities, to some extent. According to the findings, 62% of respondents acknowledged that social media had largely supplanted in-person interactions (Figure 11). The proportion of respondents was high who prefer to stay at home and play online games (56%) as compared to those who like to go outside or to the playgrounds to play with friends (44%). This attitude causes a lack of social interaction in the community as the results show that 52.7% of males and females are more likely to spend time on social media platforms during their holidays than going out with family (27.3%) and visit neighbours/friends and relatives (20%) (Figure 12). Similarly, the majority of the respondents in view that an increase in the number of online friends is the reason for decreasing the number of real friends (66%). On the other hand, the same proportion strongly agreed that social media is helping to connect with relatives who live far away (66%) (Table 4). This study also indicates that our youth has the intention to continue its use. So, there is a need to have a positive approach to maintain the balance between the use of SM and social behaviour.




Figure 11

SM Affects Social Life


Figure 12
Spend time in Holidays


Table 4

Social Media and Social Behavior

Per cent distribution of youth aged 15-24 who used social media and reported change in terms of behaviour.
Questions	Options	Total=N	Percentage
SM affects social life	“Does not affect face-to-face communication”	7	14.0
	“Somewhat has an effect on face-to-face communication”	10	20.0
	“Replaces most face-to-face communication”	31	62.0
	Others	2	4.0
Prefer to stay at home or go outside	Going outside/ playground to play with friends	22	44.0
	Staying at home and playing online Games/SM	28	56.0
Spend time on holidays	Going out with Family	15	27.3
	Visit your Neighbors/Friends and Relatives	11	20.0
	Spend time on Social media platforms	29	52.7
More online friends are the reason for decreasing the number of in-person friends	Yes	33	66.0
	No	17	34.0
Social media is helping to connect with a relative who lives far away	Strongly agree	33	66.0
	Agree	7	14.0
	Disagree	5	10.0
	Strongly disagree	5	10.0
Continue using Social media Sites	Yes	43	86.0
	No	7	14.0
Go to bed late because to spend more time on Social media	Yes	36	72.0
	No	14	28.0
Face any Health Problems because of using Social media	Never	10	20.0
	Rarely	13	26.0
	Often	20	40.0
	Always	7	14.0
kind of health problems faced	Eye Problem	15	14.7
	Headache Problem	28	27.5
	Lack of Sleep	43	42.2
	Feel Dizzy all Day long	8	7.8
	Others	8	7.8
SM networks affect mental conditions	Yes	21	42.0
	No	29	58.0
Ever Been A Victim of On-Line Bullying	Yes	8	16.0
	No	42	84.0
SM use predicts declines in subjective well-being: how people feel in every moment and how satisfied they are with their lives."	Yes	23	46.0
	No	27	54.0
SM causes jealousy, which leads to depression that other people have a better standard of life	Yes	17	34.0
	No	33	66.0
SM cause depression if make negative comparisons between you and others	Yes	27	67.5
	No	13	32.5
When you are away from SM you get worried when you find out your friends are having fun without you	“Not at all true of me”	16	32.0
	“Somewhat true of me”	19	38.0
	“Extremely true of me”	15	30.0
How often do you feel alone	Never	10	20.0
	Some times	24	48.0
	Often	16	32.0

Impacts of social media on human behaviour

Teenage youth are exclusive SM users. This is the first generation who has grown up in an environment of information and communication technologies. They are certainly in an era of fast development and progress. And are linked to these global online communities is definitely an alarming situation too for parents and educators.

Technology advancements have changed how children, particularly adolescents, learn. They acquire technological proficiency early because they are a part of the technological universe. They also start residing in the SM virtual universe. Additionally, they communicate with people less and less on an intimate level. However, some teens are more addicted to social media and use it to document their daily activities. As the study found that respondents reported sharing their pictures, videos, and interests on social media. If they don’t visit the sites regularly to check their profiles, they get a feeling of being dejected, separated, and stressed.




Fear of Missing Out (FoMO)

Recently social scientists have begun to find out the consequences of FoMO that SM users faced. FoMO is a kind of attachment to SM and is linked with multiple negative life experiences and emotions, such as sleeplessness, reduced behavioural and emotional control, emotional tension, negative effects on physical health and anxiety that leads to change in human behaviour. Perybylski et.al (2013) defines FoMO as “a pervasive apprehension that others might be having rewarding experiences from which one is absent, FoMO is characterized by the desire to stay continually connected with what others are doing” (Przybylski et al., 2013). 

The present study shows that three-fourths (75%) of the sample reported that they go to sleep late because of spending more time on social media. One out of 3 respondents (30%) agreed that it is absolutely true for themselves that staying away from SM gets them worried about facing the fear of all the fun their friends might be having without them. This feeling of FoMO develops some negative behaviours in them like jealousy for others.




Depression and Social Segregation 

Many studies found that extended hours spent on SM contribute to increasing depression, isolation, and reduced physical and social activities. The findings show that SM use isolates people from their family, friends, and acquaintances and has a detrimental effect on psychological well-being, which is a crucial factor in determining long-term human behaviours. The findings reveal that 46% of respondents claimed that the use of SM forecasts declines subjective well-being, or how happy and content a person is with their life, in the long run. 34% of SM users acknowledged that it fuels envy, which exacerbates sadness and makes them envious of others' higher standards of living (Table 4). An increase in depression was brought on by greater social media use. Social media use has been related in numerous studies to decreases in subjective mood, well-being, and life satisfaction (Kross et al., 2013).

Cyber Bullying

Social media use results in personal scams and cyberbullying. For young people who use various SM mediums to keep in touch with friends and make new ones, digitization has produced a new environment for social communications. Bullies no longer fear victims because there is no physical contact between them. Bullies can easily and boldly approach their intended victims and attack them. These assaults can range in seriousness from spreading rumours to posting embarrassing pictures without authorization or sending threatening messages to private emails or text messages. According to the survey findings, 16% of respondents have experienced online bullying. One of the causes might be the disclosure of their private information on social media, such as their actual name, birthdate, phone number, email, status, and interests. Even they post locations, images, and videos on social media. which allows abusers access to target them. According to studies, bullying of any kind can have a variety of negative impacts on young people, including behavioural problems that harm their social life and feelings of anxiety, fear, and depression (Nixon, 2016). 




In-depth Interviews on SM Impact on Human Behavior

This innovative aspect of IRP is that data is collected from the horse’s mouth to know some of the in-depth and underlying reasons for the relationship between the use of SM and its impact on human behaviour, along with the key outcomes. There is a key gap in the literature on SM's impact on human behaviour in Pakistan.

To get insight into the matter 3 men, 3 women’s in-depth interviews, and 1 media specialist in-depth interview have been conducted. The following is the response of the interviewees. Two out of 3 women, one man, and one media specialist highlighted the following areas of human behaviour and addressed this issue.




Lack of Communication Skills

According to studies, social media hinders interpersonal contact as well as face-to-face interactions. Teens and young folks are more concerned with SM, losing ties with other individuals and society in the physical world. Making new online friends’ communities and staying connected with them gives them a false sense of being well-known by others. Without face-to-face interaction,  results in lacking the deepness of in-person meetings.

Interpersonal communications develop a whole set of skills. Like reading of facial expressions, responses, feelings, and social and non-verbal signs provide vision into how the interaction is going. When someone is visibly uncomfortable with the conversation, it is easy to learn how to clarify things and judge the nervousness. 




Behavior in Real Life

Social media communication issues affect more than just the friend group. Young people are not used to having face-to-face talks and will avoid you for as long as they can. There is a general lack of respect, self-assurance, and awareness of appropriate address. Youth don't understand how impolite it is to ignore the elderly in a location. Without the practice of interpersonal communication, youth are hesitant to ask questions of instructors, fear speaking in front of groups, and avoid talking to seniors at all costs.




Encourages Laziness in Behavior 

The students waste their valuable time chatting stepping up towards unproductivity, which causes vagueness among students. Resultantly, the users become lethargic and unable to perform energetically to do productive work. Thus, social media engages someone sitting or staying just sticking to one place leads to laziness because hours and hours are spent on social media. 




Addressing the Impact of social media on how people behave”

The extensive use of SM platforms is emerging as an issue and needs to be addressed at different levels. Government should make and implement some policies regarding restricted sites. Encouraging families to work sensibly shows extreme concerns limiting kids, teens, and young adults for the usage of mobile devices. Providing awareness that SM use tends to become an issue when it exceeds a certain time limit per day. Focusing on quality communication and interaction is good for mitigating SM use-associated risks for youth. Moreover, it is certainly valuable to inform the parent that their cellphone use and their personal conduct have changed into a context with bad contact with their children. 

A motivational strategy may work to assist youngsters to improve and make more constructive routines of online activities. Rational and cognitive therapies are a good and effective approach for young people to give better self-control through the usage of social media and handheld devices.  Young users should be encouraged to openly tell their online peers that setting a time limit is crucial for them when using social media. Academic fitness is further strengthened by talking with children about the value of speaking skills in face-to-face interactions. More frequently, initiatives at the public level must be organised to educate people about the negative effects of using new technologies and to promote healthier behaviour in this area.

Conclusion

The findings of the present research suggest that social media platforms are increasingly being used by youth in information and communication technologies”. These might be significant elements that have an impact on how social competence develops. People's use of contemporary technology for social reasons has supplanted other forms of communication in recent years. Teenagers in particular have embraced these communication channels as the best way to stay in contact with friends and fam. “The most common sites where young people hang out are social media platforms like Facebook and YouTube”. The findings showed that rather than engaging in face-to-face interaction, the majority of these young people spend more time socialising via SM. The findings, however, also demonstrated that young people regularly use social networks as a form of communication when they have access to them.

In conclusion, it is clear that social media is having a significant impact on how its consumers behave. Youth typically use social media platforms (SM) for quick and effective contact with their friends and families around the world. Social media seems to be a given for them, especially for those who were born in this age of cutting-edge technologies. They even rely on it for a number of advantageous things, like faster and more effective instruction and learning.

The effect of social media is the focus of this report”. It demonstrates how social media intrudes into the lives of people of all ages in society. It becomes more attractive for youth for its characteristics like providing the facility to make online friends and community circles, sharing views, getting replies, and being more interactive. All such activities on social media definitely result in releasing daily life pressures and feeling good using such social media platforms. It definitely has a negative impact on young people's lives to some extent because it eliminates many chances for face-to-face interaction and leaves them feeling isolated in the real world. The proportion of respondents was high who prefer to stay at home and play online games as compared to those who like to go outside. This attitude causes a lack of social interaction in the community and decreases the number of real friends. Another impact is facing a fear of missing out and this feeling of FoMO develops some negative behaviours in them, like jealousy for others. Which leads to depression, and other people have a better standard of life. The research also concentrated on cyberbullying, which caused behavioural problems, anxiety, fear, and depression. The survey results are also supported by the findings of in-depth interviews and provide underline reasons for social media use and its impact on human behaviour need to address these at different levels. This study also indicates that our youth have the intention to continue its use on a regular basis, so an approach is necessarily required to make a balance in the relationship between social media and social life.

Recommendations

This research has some limitations like the time limit constraints for data collection. Second, only 50 questionnaires were administered, so the findings are not representative, and have effects of sampling error.

The present research provides an examination of the forthcoming research regarding SM and young adults. SM is an emerging phenomenon to be studied as technology is an essential chunk of younger lives. Keeping in view its acceptance, adults should have great concerns about the impacts of SM on their young generation. These concerns are not only about youth’s online security, mental health, societal growth, and good academics. Though, these types of research should be specified and associated with different theories regarding the use of SM by youngsters, form a culture in these online groups, and shape their behaviour.

The following are the study's main recommendations:

? The young need to be taught how to use social media in a balanced way to reduce time wasted on idle conversations and other unimportant activities.

? Security agencies and parents should monitor young people’s SM activities to protect them from the adverse influences of SM.

? To have a generation with better face-to-face in-person communications, the stakeholders should take the moral responsibility to organize and support such social events specifically targeting the young audience to interact and socialize with each other physically.

? Built knowledge about the apps youth are using today to be fully aware and connected to them. There is no option to pass on this.

? The results of this research may be used in making policies for learning and productively using social media.

References

• Allcott, H., Braghieri, L., Eichmeyer, S., & Gentzkow, M. (2018). The Welfare Effects of Social Media. SSRN Electronic Journal, 110(3). https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3308640.
• Anastasiades, P., & Zaranis, N. (2017). Research on e- Learning and ICT in Education (P. Anastasiades & N. Zaranis, Eds.). Springer International Publishing. . https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-34127-9
• Atwan, G., Lushing, E. & Andrews, A. (2008). The Facebook book: a satirical companion. New York: Abrams Image
• Bano, S., Cisheng, W., Khan, A. N., & Khan, N. A. (2019). WhatsApp use and student’s psychological well-being: Role of social capital and social integration. Children and Youth Services Review, 103, 200–208. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2019.06.002.
• Barker, V. (2009). Older Adolescents’ Motivations for Social Network Site Use: The Influence of Gender, Group Identity, and Collective Self- Esteem. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 12(2), 209– 213. https://doi.org/10.1089/cpb.2008.0228.
• Cynthia Van Hee, Jacobs, G., Emmery, C., Desmet, B., Lefever, E., Verhoeven, B., Guy De Pauw, Daelemans, W., & Hoste, V. (2018). Automatic detection of cyberbullying in social media text. PLOS ONE, 13(10), e0203794. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0203794.
• Dean, B. (2021, October 10). Social Network Usage & Growth Statistics: How Many People Use Social Media in 2021? Backlinko; Backlinko. https://backlinko.com/social-media-users.
• Guedes, E., Sancassiani, F., Carta, M. G., Campos, C., Machado, S., King, A. L. S., & Nardi, A. E. (2016). Internet Addiction and Excessive Social Networks Use: What About Facebook? Clinical Practice & Epidemiology in Mental Health, 12(1), 43–48. https://doi.org/10.2174/1745017901612010043.
• Kemp, S. (2021, February 11). Digital in Pakistan: All the Statistics You Need in 2021. DataReportal – Global Digital Insights. https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2021- pakistan.
• Kross, E., Verduyn, P., Demiralp, E., Park, J., Lee, D. S., Lin, N., Shablack, H., Jonides, J., & Ybarra, O. (2013). Facebook Use Predicts Declines in Subjective Well-Being in Young Adults. PLoS ONE, 8(8). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0069841.
• Maryville University. (2020, May 28). The Evolution of Social Media: How Did It Begin and Where Could It Go Next? Maryville Online. https://online.maryville.edu/blog/evolution-social- media/#history
• Nixon, C. (2016). Current perspectives: the impact of cyberbullying on adolescent health. Adolescent Health, Medicine and Therapeutics, 5(5), 143–158. https://doi.org/10.2147/ahmt.s36456
• Przybylski, A.K., Murayama, K., DeHaan, C.R. and Gladwell, V. (2013). Motivational, emotional, and behavioral correlates of fear of missing out. Computers in Human Behavior, 29(4), pp.1841–1848
• Rabia, M., Adnan, S., Misbah, N., Nawaz, H., Gillani, M., & Arshad, A. (2020). Influence of Social Media on Youngsters: A Case Study in GC Women University Sialkot, Pakistan. Creative Education, 11(03), 285–296. https://doi.org/10.4236/ce.2020.113022.
• Reid Chassiakos, Y. (Linda), Radesky, J., Christakis, D., Moreno, M. A., & Cross, C. (2016). Children and Adolescents and Digital Media. Pediatrics, 138(5), e20162593. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2016- 2593.
• Skoric, M., & Tomasevic, A. (2011). Granovetter’s theory of strength of weak ties. Socioloski Pregled, 45(3), 323–336. https://doi.org/10.5937/socpreg1103323s
• Spies Shapiro, L. A., & Margolin, G. (2014). Growing Up Wired: Social Networking Sites and Adolescent Psychosocial Development. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 17(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10567-013-0135-1
• Sumner, S. A., Bowen, D. A., & Bartholow, B. (2019). Factors Associated With Increased Dissemination of Positive Mental Health Messaging On Social Media. Crisis, 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1027/0227- 5910/a000598
• Woods, H. C., & Scott, H. (2016). #Sleepyteens: Social Media Use in Adolescence Is Associated with Poor Sleep quality, anxiety, Depression and Low self- esteem. Journal of Adolescence, 51(1), 41–49. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2016.05.00 8.