Mental health and depression as mediators between social media use screen time and academic integrity among tertiary students in Ghana

Abstract

In light of rising concerns over the psychological and academic consequences of excessive digital engagement among College of Education students, this study investigates the complex interplay between social media use, screen time, mental health, and academic outcomes. This study investigated the complex interplay between social media use, screen time, depression, mental health, assessment integrity, and internal assessment scores among tertiary students in Ghana using a cross-sectional correlational design. A total of 970 students from public Colleges of Education across Ghana were selected through stratified random sampling. Data were analyzed using Pearson correlations, multiple regression, and mediation/moderation models (Hayes PROCESS v4.0). Findings revealed that increased social media use and screen time were significantly associated with poorer mental health outcomes (R² = 0.31, p < .001), with late-night screen usage (β = - 0.29, p < .001) and emotional investment in social media (β = - 0.30, p < .001) emerging as the strongest negative predictors of mental well-being. Depression significantly mediated the relationship between social media use and academic performance (indirect effect β = - 0.14, 95% CI [- 0.21, - 0.07], p < .001), accounting for 27% of the variance in depression and 23% in academic scores. The direct path from social media use to academic performance also remained significant (β = - 0.17, p < .001), while the total effect was stronger (β = - 0.31, p < .001), indicating partial mediation. Furthermore, depression significantly predicted increased assessment dishonesty (β = 0.29, p < .001), and this relationship was amplified among students with high non-academic screen time exposure. Correlation analysis showed significant negative associations between screen time and assessment scores (r = - .28 to - 0.32, p < .01), and between depression and academic integrity (r = .25 to 0.33, p < .01). The study concludes that digital behaviors, particularly excessive and emotionally driven screen use, detrimentally affect students' mental health and ethical academic conduct. Psychological distress, especially depression, is statistically consistent with partial mediation, digital engagement to reduced academic performance and integrity. These findings highlight the need for institutional policies that promote balanced digital habits, mental health support, and integrity-centered assessment reforms in Ghanaian tertiary institutions.