Facebook and TikTok are two of the most popular social media platforms, especially among adolescents in Bangladesh. Although generalized problematic social media use among young adults in Bangladesh has been explored, specific problematic use of social media platforms such as Facebook and TikTok among adolescents and their associated risk factors remains underexplored. A sample of 1,183 adolescents was recruited from the Kurigram district of Bangladesh through stratified cluster sampling. They completed a cross-sectional survey containing questions regarding socio-demographic, lifestyle and behavioral, and socio-environmental factors along with the Problematic TikTok Use Scale (PTTUS) and Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale (BFAS). Problematic TikTok use was significantly associated with up to primary level parental education, a history of tobacco smoking, poor parent-child communication, lack of peer support in the past month, truancy in the past month, and serious injury in the past year. Problematic Facebook use was significantly associated with a history of tobacco smoking, lack of peer support in the past month, parental homework check in the past month, and involvement in physical fights in the past year. Linear regression showed that a history of tobacco smoking, poor interactions with parents, lack of peer support in the past month, and serious injury in the past year as significant predictors of problematic TikTok use, whereas family type was a predictor of problematic Facebook use. These findings underscore the multifaceted nature of problematic social media use among adolescents. Culturally appropriate, school-based interventions are needed to foster healthier digital behaviors among Bangladeshi adolescents.
Begum et al. (2026) studied this question.