Relationship between social media addiction, sleep quality, and occupational balance among Generation Z university students

OBJECTIVES: The widespread integration of social media into daily life has raised concerns about its impact on young adults' well-being. This cross-sectional study examined the relationship between social media addiction, sleep quality, and occupational balance among Generation Z university students in Türkiye. METHODS: The sample included 136 undergraduates born in or after 2000. Data were collected using the Social Media Addiction Scale, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and the Occupational Balance Questionnaire. RESULTS: Higher social media addiction scores were weakly associated with poorer sleep quality (r = .219, FDR-adjusted p = .016) and higher occupational balance scores (r = .275, FDR-adjusted p = .003). Social media addiction scores differed significantly according to daily usage duration, with students reporting more than six hours of daily social media use having the highest addiction scores (F = 7.57, p < .001). In the regression analysis, social media addiction remained significantly associated with poorer sleep quality after controlling for age, gender, academic year, and daily social media use duration (β = 0.255, p = .007). However, social media addiction was not a significant predictor of occupational balance after adjustment, whereas sleep quality was significantly associated with occupational balance (β = 0.370, p < .001). CONCLUSION: Social media addiction appears to be associated with sleep quality among Generation Z university students, while its relationship with occupational balance seems more complex and should be interpreted cautiously.