Web-based services known as Social Networking Sites (SNS) enable users to create a public or semi-public profile within a constrained system, list other users with whom they have a connection, and view and navigate both their list of connections and those made by others. These connections' characteristics and conditions may change from one site to another [1]. Thanks to the development of social media over the past ten years, young people are now able to exchange ideas, emotions, personal information, images, and videos at a truly astounding rate. Today, social networking platforms are used by 73% of American youths with access to the internet. Social network treatments have been utilized to reduce bullying among adolescents and encourage contemporary family planning practices in international health programmes [2]. Weight loss, diabetes control, smoking cessation, exercise, and enhancing the wellbeing of people with schizophrenia have all benefited from social network focused interventions. The negative effects of excessive social networking use on an individual's general health have been documented. The impact of social media on general health depends on a number of variables, including usage frequency and type of websites visited [3]. Teenagers are frequently kept at home for extended periods of time because of their exhaustion from long school days, long commutes, and the fear of crime. This limits their opportunity for physical and social connection. Due to this active user's inclination to become socially isolated, interpersonal interactions are ultimately impacted [4].

SNS use was also connected to recent instances of blue whale deaths from various parts of India, particularly among young people and adolescents.

Therefore, it is important to comprehend how social networking time affects quality of life (QOL) generally, particularly among college-bound adolescents who are most likely SNS users (18–21 years old). As it relates to objectives, expectations, standards, and worries, QOL is a multifaceted notion that refers to a person's entire well-being and sense of fulfilment in life [5].

As they get greater freedom from parental and familial pressures after they leave school and begin a completely new stage of life, college-bound students are more inquisitive and susceptible to being impacted by the physical, mental, social, and psychological changes happening in and around them. The majority of research on social networking and its effects on QOL has been done in Western countries, where the Internet revolution started earlier and where societal norms are different from those in India. Therefore, it is essential to research the relationship between SNS usage and QOL.

It comprised of 535 subjects of both genders. All were informed regarding the study. Ethical approval was obtained from institutional ethical committee. General information such as name, age, gender etc. was recorded. A questionnaire was designed to acquire information such as number of hours spent on social site, type of sites visualized and effect on general health. Responds were recorded and tabulated. The data was processed and subjected to statistical analysis. P value less than 0.05 was considered significant. Ethical clearance was obtained from the Institutional ethical review committee. Pretesting was done among 20 students of the same age group who were not included in the study. The data was collected using a supervised, pretested, semi-structured, and self-administered questionnaire in a classroom after giving standardized instructions for filling the form to the students.

For the study, the social networking site users were classified as daily and nondaily users. Daily users were defined as those who were using social networking sites every day, and nondaily users were using social networking sites but not daily.

Average time spent on social networking sites, perceived quality of life (QOL), and baseline sociodemographic information were presented as means and percentages. The association between perceived QOL and the use of social networking sites was tested using χ² test.

Table 1 shows that out of 535 subjects, males were 320 and females were 215.

Table 2 shows that 39 subjects used to spend 1 hour/day, 134 subjects spent 2 hours/day and 363 used to spend >2 hours/day on social media. The difference was significant (p<0.05).

Table 3 shows that maximum cases of stress (175) were seen in subjects who spent >2 hours/day on social media. Similarly, 123 had loss of concentration, 343 had obesity and 139 had hypertension who spent >2 hours/day on social media.

They spread behaviour change by making use of the current network structure. Furthermore, as network participants frequently uphold relationships, network interventions can aid in maintaining behaviour change. Members of an individual's personal network are frequently negatively affected emotionally, financially, and socially by significant disease and health issues. Therefore, it can be beneficial for secondary prevention to include and take into account these network members in the processes of support, care, and behaviour modifications [6].

This generation, as is common knowledge, relies heavily on the internet and spends the majority of their time on social networking sites like Twitter, Google Plus, My Space, and Facebook. This is possibly because youth and college and university students both used it heavily to gain access to the rest of the world. The majority of students would rather spend hours online than studying for tests or doing homework. The primary cause is that when students are studying or looking up their course material online, they become drawn to SNS's to pass the time and distract themselves from their work [7]. The goal of the current study was to determine how social media affects health status. 

Males made up 315 of the 525 participants in our study, while females made up 210. 35 participants used to spend an hour per day on social media, 130 used to spend two hours per day, and 360 used to spend more than two hours per day. One thousand five hundred and eight copies of the questionnaire that were distributed, out of the one thousand five hundred and seventy-eight copies that were retrieved, representing a response rate of 95.5%, were used in the study conducted by Junco et al. The study found that the majority of respondents possessed mobile phones with Internet capabilities and were aware of the availability of several media websites. The study also showed that most respondents spent between 30 and 3 hours each day using their phones to access their social media accounts. Additionally, the study found a direct correlation between the usage of social networking sites and academic achievement and that using them negatively impacted respondents' academic performance. The report suggests, among other things, that teachers urge students who have access to the internet on their mobile devices to utilize it to augment their library research rather than their customary practice of constantly texting and chatting with pals. Students should be advised to cut back on the amount of time they spend on social media each day and to instead use that time to read books to expand their knowledge. There is an urgent need to introduce kids to novels and other information resources or materials that can benefit them academically because the use of social media sites had a detrimental impact on students' academic work [8].

In contrast to earlier literature that favored offline or face-to-face social networking, our study has underlined the significance of online social networking in the development of social capital. This is due to a rise in like-minded individuals in our society who are amenable to being contacted through internet networks [9]. This is further confirmed by the finding that, compared to nondaily users, 68% of daily users in our survey were content with their interactions with their peers. More than half (55%) of regular users were happy with how they handled the issues. This can be ascribed to good problem-solving discussions among peers that result in better outcomes. Additionally, their friends' concerns are being handled more effectively, which also helps them. Loneliness was revealed to be the best indicator of smartphone addiction among foreign students in China.10 Compared to non-daily users, daily users were more satisfied with their life accomplishments (55%) and their physical looks (62%) than non-daily users. The virtual environment may be allowing individuals to protect themselves in unique ways, allowing them to transcend their limitations and inhibitions [9]. But given that using social networking sites can be encouraged by feelings of fulfilment and respite from unpleasant emotions, this might be a vicious cycle that, with continued use, could result in addiction. About 4.9% (n = 25) of the 511 young adults 20 to 35 years’ old who participated in the study were classified as having a high risk profile for SNS addiction [10].

The prevalence of physical and social health problems among daily and nondaily users of the SNSs showed no significant difference. Currently, Internet use might not have reached the levels where it embarks on the existing state of health. Continuous and critical observation of the changing trends is therefore warranted. Authors found that as the duration on social media increased, the health related problems increased. Obesity, hypertension, and stress was commonly seen health problems.

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2. Terzian, E. et al. “Social network intervention in patients with schizophrenia and marked social withdrawal: A randomized controlled study.” The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, vol. 58, no. 11, 2013, pp. 622–631.

3. Latkin, C. et al. “The dynamic relationship between social norms and behaviors: The results of an HIV prevention network intervention for injection drug users.” Addiction, vol. 108, no. 5, 2013, pp. 934–943.

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8. Junco, R. “Too much face and not enough books: The relationship between multiple indices of Facebook use and academic performance.” Computers in Human Behavior, vol. 28, no. 1, 2011, pp. 187–198.

9. Vossen, H.G. et al. “An experimental test of the effects of online and face-to-face feedback on self-esteem.” Cyberpsychology: Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace, vol. 11, no. 4, 2017. https://doi.org/10.5817/CP2017-4-1.

10. Jiang, Q., Y. Li, and V. Shypenka. “Loneliness, individualism, and smartphone addiction among international students in China.” Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, vol. 21, no. 11, 2018, pp. 711–718.