Exploring Global Patterns of Social Media Disorder: The Role of Sociodemographic Factors

In recent years, problematic social media usage, also referred to as Social Media Disorder (SMD), has garnered increasing attention due to the several adverse consequences associated with social media misuse. This study investigates how sociodemographic factors, including age, gender, and education level, and cultural context shapes SMD. This study uses data from 35 countries, with over 30,000 participants divided into eight culturally distinct regions: Anglo-Western, East Asia, Europe, Middle East and North Africa (MENA), Latin America, South Asia, Southeast Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Linear Modelling has been employed to examine the role of sociodemographic variables and culture on SMD. Emerging adults showed significantly higher SMD compared to early adults and middle adults across all regions. Females exhibited higher SMD compared to males, a pattern only significant in South Asian and European regions. While main effect of education was not found across the entire sample, interaction effect of gender, education and culture was observed. Females with lower educational levels showed higher SMD than males, particularly in South Asia and MENA regions. Regionally, the highest SMD was found in South Asia, followed by MENA and Sub-Saharan Africa. Whereas the lowest SMD scores were demonstrated by the Anglo-Western and European regions. These patterns highlight that both sociodemographic factors and cultural factors influence how individuals engage with social media. These findings underscore the need for culturally sensitive as well as age and gender appropriate interventions and prevention strategies.