Analysis of Social Media and Privacy-Related Anxiety Among College Students

Abstract

This research examined undergraduate 'digital natives' (N=198) from Northeastern College in the Philippines as part of an analysis on social media and privacy-related anxiety during the 2025 to 2026 school year; descriptive and correlational designs were used to evaluate 4 different types of anxiety related to social media: shared content, privacy concern, communication with others via social media, and anxiety about how others perceive their activity on social media. Data show that students who were surveyed experience mild to moderate levels of anxiety due to their use of social media (M = 3.37), with privacy-related concerns being a major contributor (M = 3.63); in particular, anxiety is related to unauthorized access to personal digital accounts and other people sharing information about someone without his/her permission. Significant (p < .001) positive correlations were observed between all four types of anxiety, but the highest correlation was between anxiety about shared content and anxiety about self-evaluating (r = 649). This conclusion suggests that students’ levels of anxiety about their perceived self-worth are highly correlated with their curated digital identities. The S.H.I.E.L.D. Framework provides higher education institutions with a holistic approach to foster Wi-Fi privacy and digital wellness, going beyond merely raising awareness about online safety.