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Abstract

This study critically examines the relevance of social media indulgence to the mental health of Nigerian youths. Using a mixed-methods approach, data were collected through questionnaires and semi-structured interviews to explore patterns of content exposure, emotional responses, coping strategies, and perceived control over social media use. Quantitative findings reveal that peer lifestyle and aspirational content generate high emotional impact, contributing to increased stress, anxiety, and sleep disruption, while motivational and religious content provides moderate emotional support. Qualitative insights further illustrate how algorithmic content curation intensifies social comparison and emotional discomfort, despite offering opportunities for social connection. Guided by Social Comparison Theory, Uses and Gratifications Theory, and Self-Determination Theory, the study demonstrates the dual role of social media as both a psychological stressor and a coping resource. The findings highlight limited perceived control among youths and a strong desire for guidance. The study contributes context-specific evidence to Nigerian and African social media scholarship and proposes policy, educational, and platform-level interventions to promote digital wellbeing.

Keywords: Social media indulgence; mental health; Nigerian youths; social comparison; algorithmic influence; digital wellbeing

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

The twenty-first century is defined by rapid social and technological change as digital technologies reshape communication, work, learning, and social understanding. Social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, X (formerly Twitter), TikTok, and YouTube have evolved from simple communication tools into complex algorithm-driven systems that influence social interaction, information circulation, and economic activity (Onyekwere et al. 47). Through personalised feeds, recommendations, and trending mechanisms, these platforms actively influence what users see, value, and emotionally respond to, thereby shaping public discourse, personal opinion, and social relationships rather than merely reflecting them (Mutsvairo and Borges-Rey 579).

Social media also plays a significant role in identity formation and self-perception. Digital feedback mechanisms (such as likes, comments, shares, and follower counts) often function as indicators of social approval and personal worth, thereby shaping self-esteem and belonging (Nwachukwu et al. 537). While platforms enable creativity, connection, and self-expression, they also intensify comparison and visibility pressures that may negatively affect emotional wellbeing, particularly among young people with high levels of online engagement (Ng Fat et al. 1130).

Although social media platforms operate globally, their social effects are uneven and shaped by local cultural, economic, and political contexts (Odgers and Jensen 338). The same platform can produce different meanings and outcomes across societies, thus, reflecting a tension between global digital structures and local realities. Nigeria exemplifies this tension clearly. As one of the world’s most youthful and digitally active societies, Nigerian youths rely heavily on social media for communication, learning, political engagement, entertainment, and income generation (Buchi 1118). At the same time, they face persistent challenges, including high unemployment, poverty, political instability, insecurity, and limited access to mental health services. The contrast between online displays of success and everyday lived hardship often generates stress, frustration, and feelings of inadequacy (Ajayi and Oloruntola 3).

Nigeria’s demographic structure intensifies the significance of social media. With over seventy per cent of the population under thirty, young people are the most digitally connected group, growing up in a context where online engagement is a necessity rather than a choice (Ajayi and Oloruntola 233). Rapid expansion of smartphone access and mobile internet has also made social media more reliable than many public services, embedding digital platforms deeply into everyday life (Pew Research Centre). Nigerian youths use different platforms for distinct purposes: X as a political and activist space, Instagram and TikTok for identity performance and digital entrepreneurship, Facebook for community and marketplace interactions, YouTube for learning and entertainment, and WhatsApp for constant social coordination (Adegbesan 57; Asare 85–86; Ajayi and Oloruntola 6).

This pervasive connectivity exists alongside systemic challenges. Economic instability, rising inflation, and youth unemployment exceeding forty per cent have made formal employment increasingly inaccessible (National Bureau of Statistics 12). In response, social media has become central to economic survival, supporting informal entrepreneurship, personal branding, and freelance work (Asare 88; Buchi 1120). Online visibility is often directly linked to income opportunities, which raises the emotional and psychological stakes of maintaining an active digital presence.

Weak governance, corruption, and widespread insecurity further shape youth experiences. Political disillusionment and exposure to violence have reduced trust in state institutions, while social media has become a primary space for political discussion, real-time reporting, and civic mobilisation (Adegbesan 61; Ajayi and Oloruntola 14). However, constant exposure to distressing content also intensifies anxiety, fear, and emotional exhaustion (Adegbesan 70).

These pressures are compounded by Nigeria’s fragile mental health system. Severe shortages of professionals, low public investment, and cultural stigma mean that most young people lack access to formal psychological support (Gureje et al. 4, 7; Alt 8). In this context, social media often becomes a substitute coping space thereby increasing the risk that digitally mediated distress remains unmanaged.

Against this background, this study introduces the concept of social media indulgence to move beyond narrow quantitative measures such as screen time. Indulgence refers to intense, emotionally meaningful, and habitual engagement in which social media becomes embedded in daily routines, identity, and emotional regulation. It is characterised by compulsive attention (Buchi5), deep emotional and identity investment, reliance on digital validation, stress management through online engagement (Marciano et al. 9), and blurred boundaries between online and offline life.

Among Nigerian youths, social media indulgence functions as both a resource and a risk. While providing connection, opportunity, and expression, it simultaneously increases vulnerability to emotional strain. Understanding indulgence within Nigeria’s unique socio-economic and institutional context is therefore essential for analysing its relationship with youth mental health.

1.2 Statement of the Research Problem

Extensive research links social media use among young people to mental health challenges such as anxiety, depression, sleep disruption, low self-esteem, and body image concerns (Valkenburg et al. 58; Twenge 112). These findings have contributed to widespread concern that social media is inherently harmful to youth wellbeing. However, applying such conclusions directly to the Nigerian context raises serious conceptual and methodological problems.

Most existing studies are grounded in Western, Educated, Industrialised, Rich, and Democratic (WEIRD) societies, which represent a narrow segment of the global population (Henrich et al. 61). Youths in these contexts typically operate within relatively stable economies, formal labour markets, and accessible mental health systems. Also, they often use social media primarily for leisure, communication, and self-expression. Theories and models derived from these settings therefore reflect experiences that differ from those of youths in developing countries. According to Sedgwick, using such findings from WEIRD studies to make universal conclusions presents risks of ecological fallacy (that is, drawing individual-level conclusions from contextually mismatched group data) (95).

A further limitation of the literature lies in its narrow operationalisation of social media use. Many studies rely on basic metrics such as screen time or frequency of platform access (Onyekwere et al. 47). Although useful in descriptively, these measures fail to capture the quality, purpose, emotional intensity, and socio-economic significance of engagement with social media platforms. In Nigeria, where social media is closely tied to livelihood strategies, social obligation, and identity performance, such simplified indicators obscure why similar levels of use can produce divergent mental health outcomes.

Cultural and structural pressures further complicate this relationship. Nigerian youths face strong expectations to achieve economic success and support extended family networks, often within conditions of unemployment, inflation, and political uncertainty. Social media intensifies these pressures through continuous exposure to curated displays of wealth, migration success, and achievement, which may generate stress, anxiety, and feelings of inadequacy (Ajayi and Oloruntola 3). At the same time, digital platforms can offer encouragement, spiritual reassurance, community belonging, and access to opportunities that mitigate distress. This duality highlights the inadequacy of models that frame social media engagement as uniformly harmful or pathological.

The central research problem, therefore, lies in the mismatch between dominant global theories of social media use and the lived realities of Nigerian youths. Context-specific research explaining how different forms of engagement shape mental health remains limited. This study addresses this gap by focusing on social media indulgence (that is, a form of deep, emotionally invested engagement) and by examining how socio-economic and cultural conditions mediate its psychological effects (Valkenburg et al. 58; Twenge 115; Henrich et al. 61).

Figure 1.1: Social Media Indulgence within the Nigerian Youth Context

Source: The Author (2026)

Figure 1.1 situates social media indulgence within Nigeria’s broader cultural, socio-economic, and technological environment. It illustrates how family expectations, religiosity, unemployment, informal labour, and algorithmic platform design interact to shape the intensity and emotional meaning of youth engagement. Social media is shown as a space where economic survival, identity formation, and emotional regulation converge, thus, indulgence is not an isolated activity.

1.3 Aim / Purpose of the Study

The main aim of this research is “to critically examine the relevance and impact of social media indulgence on the mental health of Nigerian youths.” The purpose is to provide a layered analysis that informs academic discourse and public health strategy.

1.4 Objectives of the Study

To achieve aim stated in Section 1.3, the following specific objectives will guide the study:

1. To examine patterns and intensities of social media indulgence among Nigerian youths.
2. To analyse the perceived mental health effects of social media indulgence.
3. To critically assess how socio-economic, cultural, and content-related factors mediate the relationship between social media indulgence and youth mental health, with a view to informing policy and practice.

1.5 Research Questions

1. What mental health outcomes are associated with social media indulgence among Nigerian youths?
2. How do performative hustle and relational tethering influence the emotional wellbeing of Nigerian youths?
3. Which socio-economic and cultural factors shape the mental health effects of intensive social media engagement in Nigeria?