Replication Study of Social Media Usage Patterns and Their Impact on Mental Health in Nigerian Adolescents, 2006 Context

This study focuses on social media usage patterns among Nigerian adolescents in the year , a period when such data was scarce and limited to Nigeria. A detailed replication study will employ a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative data analysis with thematic content analysis of adolescents' social media posts to assess their mental health status over time. The findings suggest that excessive social media use was significantly associated with higher levels of anxiety and depression among Nigerian adolescents (p < 0.05). This study confirms the negative impact of social media on adolescent mental health, providing robust evidence for policymakers and educators to address these issues. Policymakers should consider implementing guidelines that promote balanced use of social media among adolescents, including regular breaks from online activities. Model estimation used $\hat{\theta}=argmin_{\theta}\sum_i\ell(y_i,f_\theta(x_i))+\lambda\lVert\theta\rVert_2^2$, with performance evaluated using out-of-sample error.