Social media has become increasingly integrated into the lives of students for the past decade; however, the public health restrictions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic have led to a sharp increase in social media use in a short period of time. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of social media use on university students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Fifteen students from a mid-sized Canadian city were interviewed to share their experiences with social media during the COVID-19 pandemic. Purposive sampling was conducted to gather a diverse sample of participants, including individuals of various ages, gender and sexual identities, and ethnicities. Thematic analysis on the 15 interviews was completed using NVivo (version 12). Participants experienced both advantages and disadvantages associated with social media use. Ease of communication and stress relief were acknowledged as the strongest benefits. Social comparison, loneliness, development of bad habits, and lack of focus were cited as major disadvantages to social media use during the pandemic. Cost-benefit analysis of social media was common, and participants expressed the importance of using social media with moderation, balance, and awareness. Our study indicates that the focus on health with respect to the pandemic should not be solely based on physical health, rather the potential mental health risks associated with social media use during the pandemic should be recognized and addressed by healthcare providers.

中文翻译：

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滚动查看 COVID-19 大流行：探索增加社交媒体使用对大学生心理健康的感知影响。

在过去十年中，社交媒体越来越融入学生的生活；然而，与 COVID-19 大流行相关的公共卫生限制导致社交媒体的使用在短时间内急剧增加。本研究的目的是调查在 COVID-19 大流行期间使用社交媒体对大学生的影响。来自加拿大一个中等城市的 15 名学生接受了采访，以分享他们在 COVID-19 大流行期间使用社交媒体的经历。进行了有目的的抽样以收集不同的参与者样本，包括不同年龄、性别和性身份以及种族的个人。15 次访谈的主题分析是使用 NVivo（第 12 版）完成的。参与者体验了与社交媒体使用相关的优点和缺点。交流便利和缓解压力被认为是最大的好处。社交比较、孤独、坏习惯的养成和注意力不集中被认为是大流行期间社交媒体使用的主要缺点。社交媒体的成本效益分析很常见，参与者表达了适度、平衡和有意识地使用社交媒体的重要性。我们的研究表明，与大流行有关的对健康的关注不应仅基于身体健康，而医疗保健提供者应认识到并解决大流行期间与社交媒体使用相关的潜在心理健康风险。缺乏重点被认为是大流行期间社交媒体使用的主要缺点。社交媒体的成本效益分析很常见，参与者表达了适度、平衡和有意识地使用社交媒体的重要性。我们的研究表明，与大流行有关的对健康的关注不应仅基于身体健康，而医疗保健提供者应认识到并解决大流行期间与社交媒体使用相关的潜在心理健康风险。缺乏重点被认为是大流行期间社交媒体使用的主要缺点。社交媒体的成本效益分析很常见，参与者表达了适度、平衡和有意识地使用社交媒体的重要性。我们的研究表明，与大流行有关的对健康的关注不应仅基于身体健康，而医疗保健提供者应认识到并解决大流行期间与社交媒体使用相关的潜在心理健康风险。