Navigating the Social Media Landscape: Impacts on Responsibilities, Social Life, and Sleep Habits Among Upper-Grade Elementary School Students

Social media, omnipresent through web and mobile applications, has become an integral part of contemporary communication, connecting individuals across diverse platforms. This research delves into the influence of social media on upper-grade elementary school students, with a specific focus on sleep habits, responsibility neglect, and social life impairment. Employing the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) methodology, data collected from 338 Croatian students were analyzed. The study reveals noteworthy insights into the complex relationships between social media usage and various aspects of students’ lives. It identifies significant connections: both social media overuse and indispensability contribute to responsibility neglect, subsequently influencing social life impairment. Furthermore, the study establishes that both social life impairment and social media overuse significantly impact sleep habits among upper-grade elementary school students. In a digital age where connectivity is pervasive, understanding these dynamics becomes crucial for educators, parents, and policymakers to guide students towards responsible and balanced usage of social media.