The Correlation between Social Media Usage and Cognition among International High School Students in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Frequent social media usage among adolescents has raised concerns about potential effects on cognitive function. This study investigates social media usage among male Saudi Arabian private high school students in relation to two cognitive domains: lexical retrieval and inhibitory control. 70 male students aged 14 to 16 participated. Social media usage was measured with a self-reported survey assessing daily duration and platform engagement. Cognitive performance was assessed with standardized, performance-based tasks: the Go/No-Go and Stroop tasks for inhibitory control, and the Phonemic Fluency Test and Semantic Verbal Fluency Test for lexical retrieval. The findings provide insight into possible connections between adolescents' lexical retrieval efficiency and inhibitory control abilities and their different levels of social media usage. By focusing on specific, measurable cognitive processes rather than generalized executive functioning, this research advances a more accurate understanding of the cognitive consequences of social media use.