Scrolling and Studying: The Impact of Social Media on Students’ Productivity

Abstract

This study examines how social media simultaneously supports and undermines the academic productivity of university students in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. A qualitative exploratory design involved seven gender-segregated focus group discussions and eleven key informant interviews with students, faculty and digital literacy experts in public and private universities of Peshawar and Mardan. Thematic analysis identified four main findings: (1) platforms such as WhatsApp and Facebook act as academic enablers, enabling rapid information exchange, peer collaboration, access to supplementary resources and professional networking; (2) the same platforms drive distraction, as algorithm-based feeds, fear of missing out and late-night scrolling cause procrastination, sleep disruption and reduced concentration; (3) gender and context shape use, with female students especially from conservative households preferring “safer” platforms and rural students facing intermittent connectivity that both limits access and helps curb overuse; and (4) students adopt coping strategies such as muting notifications and using timer applications, while calling for structured digital-literacy programmes and official course-based social media channels. Overall, social media emerges as a double-edged tool: it broadens learning opportunities yet threatens sustained academic focus. A coordinated approach combining institutional policies, student self-regulation and government investment in digital literacy and infrastructure is essential to capture its pedagogical benefits while minimizing negative effects on higher-education productivity.