Scrolling for studying supports wellbeing, but entertainment scrolling harms nursing students

A fresh study is reshaping the way nursing students, educators, and health institutions think about social media. The central claim is not that online platforms are universally beneficial or harmful, but that wellbeing depends on the purpose behind use. The research frames social media as a context-driven tool whose effects vary with academic engagement versus entertainment consumption.

The work was led by Dr. Mohamed Goda Elbqry and colleagues across Qassim University in Saudi Arabia and Suez Canal University in Egypt. Their findings were published in The Open Nursing Journal, using an observational, cross-sectional design to test how different motivations align with life satisfaction.

Using validated questionnaires, the team surveyed 298 undergraduate internship students (128 male, 170 female; mean age just over 21). Measures captured academic, social, and entertainment-oriented use, alongside social media addiction risk and overall life satisfaction. To relate variables statistically, the authors applied structural equation modelling, enabling them to estimate direct and indirect pathways rather than treating correlations as simple cause-and-effect.

Results showed a clear split. Academic use—such as searching for lecture materials, preparing for exams, and coordinating peer learning—was associated with higher life satisfaction and a lower likelihood of addiction-related patterns. This suggests that purposeful platform use can function as an academic support system that mitigates stress and preserves routine.

In contrast, entertainment-driven use emerged as the strongest predictor of addictive behaviour. Notably, the model indicated that the “addiction pathway” connects entertainment use to reduced life satisfaction, with entertainment showing a substantially larger negative indirect effect than social use.

Social use, while not benign, appeared less damaging than entertainment use in the statistical model. Still, addiction symptoms served as a partial mediator: when addiction risk rose, life satisfaction declined, and this mediating mechanism helped explain why multiple categories of use could converge on wellbeing outcomes.

The authors also emphasize practical implications for universities. Because nursing students face heavy academic and clinical demands, interventions that encourage digital boundaries may yield measurable wellbeing benefits. They propose digital wellness programming, policies that limit non-academic access during study periods, and support pathways for students exhibiting addiction risk signals.

Despite the insights, the study has limitations. It relies on self-reported measures and a single-institution sample, and its cross-sectional structure cannot confirm long-term causality. The authors call for longitudinal, multi-site research to verify how these relationships evolve over time.