25, September 2025

The Dual-Edged Sword: Benefits And Distractions Of Social Media In Higher Secondary Education

VOLUME-11; ISSUE-9; SEPT-2025

Author(s): Dr. MD MAHTAB ALAM

Authors Affiliations:

Assistant Teacher, +2 G P High School Bhadahar, Kusheshwarsthan, Darbhanga, Bihar, India

DOIs:10.2015/IJIRMF/202509022     |     Paper ID: IJIRMF202509022


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Abstract Higher secondary students' personal and academic lives are now intricately entwined with social media. Applications like WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Telegram offer never-before-seen peer support, educational materials, and collaborative learning environments, but they also bring with them potent distractions that can impair focus, encourage procrastination, and lower academic achievement. This research explores the dual impact of social media on higher secondary education, highlighting both its educational benefits  and distractions. This research employs a mixed-method approach, combining quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews to investigate the advantages and distractions of social media use among students in Grades 11–12 Bihar, with a focus on the Darbhanga district. The results show a complex "dual-edge": 70% of students say they use social media to share notes and clear up their doubts, but 68% acknowledge that having notifications all the time makes it difficult to focus when studying. Regression analyses indicate a strong inverse relationship between the frequency of multitasking and academic performance, but no correlation between total social media time and grade point average. The main mechanisms of distraction identified by thematic analysis of interviews are cognitive overload, continuous partial attention, and FOMO (fear of missing out). Based on these observations, the study suggests teacher-mediated online environments, structured digital literacy programs, and self-regulation techniques to strike a balance between social media's disruptive potential and educational potential.

Social Media, Higher Secondary School Students

Dr. Md Mahtab Alam(2025); The Dual-Edged Sword: Benefits and Distractions of Social Media in Higher Secondary Education, International Journal for Innovative Research in Multidisciplinary Field, ISSN(O): 2455-0620, Vol-11, Issue-9, Pp. 152-155.         Available on –   https://www.ijirmf.com/

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