Exploring Social Media Challenges and Digital Competence in Promoting Positive Mental Health among Secondary Level Students of Selected School in Kathmandu, Nepal

Abstract

The increasing use of social media among adolescents in Nepal has emphasized issues of its dual impact on mental health, particularly amid expanding digital access in urban secondary schools. A quantitative study was conducted at a school in Kathmandu to find out the use of social media, digital literacy levels, and mental wellbeing among 272 students in grades 8-10, where the respondents' population consisted of 111 male (40.8%) and 161 female (59.2%). Data were collected via questionnaires assessing usage habits, competence, anxiety (GAD-7), and well-being (WHO-5) with the students. The findings indicate that social media use begins at an early age and is embedded in students’ academic and everyday lives. Social media was commonly used for educational purposes, emotional expression, and leisure, with video-based platforms being particularly popular. Students reported moderate confidence in basic digital skills such as locating information and communicating respectfully online. However, notable gaps were identified in critical safety-related competencies, including privacy management, responding to cyberbullying, and identifying misinformation. Mean GAD-7 scores indicated mild anxiety (M = 5.30), while WHO-5 scores reflected moderate well-being (M = 15.49), suggesting generally stable mental health. Overall, students’ self-assessed mental health reflected normally a stable wellbeing with mild levels of anxiety. The social media use perceived as both supportive and challenging. The study uncovered the importance of strengthening digital competence particularly in online safety to promote healthier and more resilient social media use among Nepalese adolescents.