Social Network Addiction and Perceived Loneliness in Relation with Gender and Country among Adolescents in India and Afghanistan

Research has shown a potential association between Social Networking Sites (SNS) and mental health problems in adolescents. Excessive use of SNS may have a negative impact on adolescents’ emotional, social, and psychological development. This study examined the relationship between Social Networking Sites Addiction (SNSA) and perceived loneliness of adolescents. In this study, 700 adolescents from different schools, and colleges from Kabul, Afghanistan, and Ahmedabad, India, completed a battery of questionnaires. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and correlational analysis. The findings showed that participants from Afghanistan had higher levels of SNSA specifically in impulsivity and virtual freedom and reported more loneliness than participants from India. Girls from India and Afghanistan experienced a greater level of loneliness compared to their male participants. Male participants from Afghanistan had higher levels of SNSA than female participants; however, females from India reported a higher level of SNSA than male participants. The findings suggested that adolescents should be supported and made aware of the dangers of SNSA preferably through training, so that they can develop skills to minimize the risks. Therefore, this study can contribute to a better understanding of social network addiction and perceived loneliness from the perspective of adolescents in two Asian countries. Keywords : social networking sites, addiction, adolescents, mental health. DOI: https://doi.org/10.55463/hkjss.issn.1021-3619.61.71