Internet Consumption Patterns and Their Influence on Emotional and Cognitive Well-Being Among Young Individuals in University
DOI:
10.56566/cer.v2i1.707Published:
2026-03-31Downloads
Abstract
The proliferation of internet connectivity has fundamentally transformed social, academic, and recreational behaviors among university students worldwide. This study investigates the nature of internet consumption patterns and their multifaceted influence on emotional and cognitive well-being among young university students. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 646 undergraduate students (mean age = 20.6 years, SD = 1.82) recruited from four major Afghanistan universities. Validated instruments were administered, including the Warwick–Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (WEMWBS), the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7), the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), and a researcher-developed Internet Usage Pattern Inventory (IUPI). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, one-way ANOVA, and multiple linear regression. Results demonstrated that 61.1% of participants exceeded six hours of daily internet use, primarily for social media and entertainment. Significant negative correlations were found between daily usage duration and emotional well-being (r = −0.451, p < .001), cognitive concentration (r = −0.389, p < .001), and academic GPA (r = −0.389, p < .001). Conversely, purposeful educational use was positively associated with academic outcomes (β = +.214, p < .001). Nighttime screen exposure emerged as a critical mediator of sleep quality and subsequent mood disturbance. The regression model accounted for 46.7% of variance in well-being scores (R² = 0.467, F(5, 640) = 112.4, p < .001). These findings underscore the urgency of developing digital literacy interventions and university-level policies to cultivate healthier, more intentional internet consumption habits among young adults
Keywords:
Cognitive performance Digital behavior Emotional well-being Internet consumption University studentsReferences
Anderson, M., & Jiang, J. (2020). Teens, social media & technology 2020. Pew Research Center. Retrieved from https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2020/09/09/teens-social-media-technology-2020/
Andreassen, C. S., Billieux, J., Griffiths, M. D., Kuss, D. J., Demetrovics, Z., Mazzoni, E., & Pallesen, S. (2019). The relationship between addictive use of social media and video games and symptoms of psychiatric disorders: A large-scale cross-sectional study. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 30(2), 252–262. https://doi.org/10.1037/adb0000160
Ball-Rokeach, S. J., & DeFleur, M. L. (1976). A dependency model of mass-media effects. Communication Research, 3(1), 3–21. https://doi.org/10.1177/009365027600300101
Baumeister, R. F., Twenge, J. M., & Nuss, C. K. (2018). Effects of social exclusion on cognitive processes: Anticipated aloneness reduces intelligent thought. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 83(4), 817–827. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.83.4.817
Best, P., Manktelow, R., & Taylor, B. (2014). Online communication, social media and adolescent wellbeing: A systematic narrative review. Children and Youth Services Review, 41, 27–36. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2014.03.001
Brand, M., Young, K. S., Laier, C., Wolfling, K., & Potenza, M. N. (2016). Integrating psychological and neurobiological considerations regarding the development and maintenance of specific Internet-use disorders: An Interaction of Person-Affect-Cognition-Execution (I-PACE) model. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 71, 252–266. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.08.033
Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (5th ed.). Sage Publications.
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The 'what' and 'why' of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behavior. Psychological Inquiry, 11(4), 227–268. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327965PLI1104_01
Elhai, J. D., Dvorak, R. D., Levine, J. C., & Hall, B. J. (2017). Problematic smartphone use: A conceptual overview and systematic review of relations with anxiety and depression psychopathology. Journal of Affective Disorders, 207, 251–259. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2016.08.030
Fardouly, J., Diedrichs, P. C., Vartanian, L. R., & Halliwell, E. (2015). Social comparisons on social media: The impact of Facebook on young women's body image concerns and mood. Body Image, 13, 38–45. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2014.12.002
Gao, L., Zhao, X., Li, H., & Wei, Y. (2022). Internet use and mental health among Southeast Asian university students during COVID-19: A cross-sectional study. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 13, 843872. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.843872
George, M. J., Russell, M. A., Piontak, J. R., & Odgers, C. L. (2018). Concurrent and subsequent associations between daily digital technology use and high-risk adolescents' mental health symptoms. Child Development, 89(1), 78–88. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12819
Griffiths, M. D. (2018). Conceptual issues concerning internet addiction and internet gaming disorder: Further critique and a response to commentaries. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 16(1), 233–239. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-017-9841-1
Haidt, J., & Rausch, Z. (2022). Social media and mental health: A collaborative review. Unpublished manuscript, NYU Stern School of Business. Retrieved from https://docs.google.com/document/socialmedia-mentalhealth
Hussain, Z., Griffiths, M. D., & Sheffield, D. (2017). An investigation into problematic smartphone use: The role of narcissism, anxiety, and personality factors. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 6(3), 378–386. https://doi.org/10.1556/2006.6.2017.052
Khoury, J. M., Marques, F., Freire, F. D. C., Teixeira, A. L., & Neves, F. S. (2019). Problematic internet use among medical students: Association with psychiatric symptoms and impairment of academic activities. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 92, 7–14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.comppsych.2019.04.012
Kirschner, P. A., & Karpinski, A. C. (2010). Facebook and academic performance. Computers in Human Behavior, 26(6), 1237–1245. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2010.03.024
Kraut, R., Kiesler, S., Boneva, B., Cummings, J., Helgeson, V., & Crawford, A. (2002). Internet paradox revisited. Journal of Social Issues, 58(1), 49–74. https://doi.org/10.1111/1540-4560.00248
Kroenke, K., Spitzer, R. L., & Williams, J. B. W. (2001). The PHQ-9: Validity of a brief depression severity measure. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 16(9), 606–613. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1525-1497.2001.016009606.x
Kuss, D. J., & Griffiths, M. D. (2021). Social networking sites and addiction: Ten lessons learned. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 14(3), 311. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph14030311
Lee, S. Y., & Lee, Y. (2017). Factors that influence an individual's intention to adopt a wearable healthcare device: The case of a smart bracelet. Telematics and Informatics, 34(4), 308–320. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2016.06.007
Lup, K., Trub, L., & Rosenthal, L. (2015). Instagram #instasad?: Exploring associations among instagram use, depressive symptoms, negative social comparison, and strangers followed. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 18(5), 247–252. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2014.0560
Odgers, C. L., & Jensen, M. R. (2020). Annual research review: Adolescent mental health in the digital age: Facts, fears, and future directions. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 61(3), 336–348. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.13190
Orben, A., & Przybylski, A. K. (2019). The association between adolescent well-being and digital technology use. Nature Human Behaviour, 3(2), 173–182. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-018-0506-1
Primack, B. A., Shensa, A., Sidani, J. E., Whaite, E. O., Lin, L. Y., Rosen, D., & Miller, E. (2017). Social media use and perceived social isolation among young adults in the US. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 53(1), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2017.01.010
Rosen, L. D., Carrier, L. M., & Cheever, N. A. (2013). Facebook and texting made me do it: Media-induced task-switching while studying. Computers in Human Behavior, 29(3), 948–958. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2012.12.001
Scott, H., Biello, S. M., & Woods, H. C. (2021). Identifying drivers for bedtime social media use despite sleep costs: The adolescent perspective. Sleep Health, 5(6), 539–545. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleh.2019.07.006
Spitzer, R. L., Kroenke, K., Williams, J. B., & Lowe, B. (2006). A brief measure for assessing generalized anxiety disorder. Archives of Internal Medicine, 166(10), 1092–1097. https://doi.org/10.1001/archinte.166.10.1092
Tennant, R., Hiller, L., Fishwick, R., Platt, S., Joseph, S., Weich, S., & Stewart-Brown, S. (2007). The Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (WEMWBS): Development and UK validation. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, 5(1), 63. https://doi.org/10.1186/1477-7525-5-63
Twenge, J. M., Joiner, T. E., Rogers, M. L., & Martin, G. N. (2018). Increases in depressive symptoms, suicide-related outcomes, and suicide rates among U.S. adolescents after 2010 and links to increased new media screen time. Clinical Psychological Science, 6(1), 3–17. https://doi.org/10.1177/2167702617723376
van der Schuur, W. A., Baumgartner, S. E., Sumter, S. R., & Valkenburg, P. M. (2015). The consequences of media multitasking for youth: A review. Computers in Human Behavior, 53, 204–215. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2015.06.035
Vannucci, A., Flannery, K. M., & Ohannessian, C. M. (2017). Social media use and anxiety in emerging adults. Journal of Affective Disorders, 207, 163–166. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2016.08.040
Vigdor, J. L., Ladd, H. F., & Martinez, E. (2014). Scaling the digital divide: Home computer technology and student achievement. Economic Inquiry, 52(3), 1103–1119. https://doi.org/10.1111/ecin.12089
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, 41–49. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2016.05.008
Yao, M. Z., He, J., Ko, D. M., & Pang, K. (2014). The influence of personality, parental behaviors, and self-esteem on internet addiction: A study of Chinese college students. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 17(2), 104–110. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2012.0710
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Faridoon Ayobi, Ahmad Farhad Rajab Zada, Sayed Ehsan Shamsi
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with Current Educational Review, agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC-BY License). This license allows authors to use all articles, data sets, graphics, and appendices in data mining applications, search engines, web sites, blogs, and other platforms by providing an appropriate reference. The journal allows the author(s) to hold the copyright without restrictions and will retain publishing rights without restrictions.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in Current Educational Review.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
