The Influence of Media and Social Media on Substance Abuse Behaviours Among Government Day Senior Secondary School Students in North-Central Nigeria

Abstract

The increasing exposure of adolescents to media and social media platforms has raised concerns regarding their influence on substance abuse behaviours among secondary school students in Nigeria. This study quantitatively examines the influence of media and social media exposure on substance abuse behaviours among Government Day Senior Secondary School students in North-Central Nigeria. A cross-sectional survey design was adopted, involving a population of 986 students drawn from selected Government Day Senior Secondary Schools across North-Central Nigeria, including urban and semi-urban educational settings in Niger, Benue, Kogi, and Nasarawa States. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire titled Media Influence and Substance Abuse Behaviour Scale (MISABS) and analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and simple linear regression at a 0.05 level of significance. Findings revealed that social media exposure has a strong positive relationship with substance abuse behaviours (r = 0.71, p < 0.05), while traditional media exposure also shows a moderate positive relationship (r = 0.58, p < 0.05). Regression analysis indicated that media exposure accounts for 49% of the variance in substance abuse behaviours among students (R² = 0.49, F = 198.22, p < 0.05). The study concludes that media and social media significantly influence substance abuse behaviours among adolescents. It recommends enhanced media literacy education, stricter content regulation, and strengthened school-based behavioural intervention programmes.