The Need for Interventions to Reduce Time Spent on Social Media and Strengthening of Family Relationships in University Students

Abstract

Pakistan is known for its strong family bonds. University students need strong support from their families for the maintenance of ethics, health and production. However, there is fear that greater use of social media is contributing to the weakening of family relations. This research aims to identify the relationship between time spent on social media and the quality of family relationships of university students. A total of 200 students were sampled. Welch ANOVA showed that the mean difference of family relations to social media usage was statistically significant, Fw (3,92.91) = 8.258, p<0.01 and the Games Howell post hoc test reveals that the quality of family relations was significantly lower when social media usage is more than 5 hours (21.8 ± 11.1). The paper discusses possible interventions to reduce social media usage and improve family quality time, which can be helpful for policymakers, psychologists, social workers, and social welfare officers.