Social media use, mental fatigue, and sleep quality among undergraduate students: A cross-sectional study

Excessive social media engagement has been linked to cognitive strain and sleep disruption among university students. This cross-sectional study examined associations between social media use, mental fatigue, and sleep quality among 762 undergraduate students in the United Arab Emirates (76.5% female; mean age = 22.07 years). Participants completed validated measures of social media use, mental fatigue, and sleep quality. Most participants reported moderate to high mental fatigue (82.5%), while 62.7% reported poor sleep quality. Higher social media use was associated with greater mental fatigue, and greater mental fatigue was associated with poorer sleep quality. Social media use was not directly associated with sleep quality after accounting for mental fatigue, although an indirect association was observed. Female students reported poorer sleep quality and higher mental fatigue, while older students reported greater fatigue and higher social media use. Findings are discussed in relation to stress processes, self-regulation, and sleep health.