The Awareness–Behaviour Paradox: Media Literacy and Social Media Risk Behaviour Among Nigerian Undergraduates

Year : 2026 | Volume : 03 | 01 | Page :
    By

    JAMES Patience Ada,

  1. Independent Researcher, Department of Mass Communication, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: The proliferation of internet-capable devices and social media platforms has created an intricate web of risks for Nigerian undergraduates, including cyberbullying, addiction, misinformation, and exposure to indecent content. While media literacy has been widely proposed in Western scholarship as a sustainable intervention for responsible online behaviour, its protective mechanisms remain insufficiently understood in non-Western contexts, particularly with respect to the psychological pathways through which literacy operates.

Objectives: This study examined the impact of media literacy on the mitigation of risks associated with social media use among university students in Oyo State, Nigeria. Specifically, it investigated patterns of social media use, levels of media, news, and social media literacy, social media risk behaviour, and the mediating roles of self-efficacy and cognitive needs in the literacy–risk behaviour relationship.

Methods: A cross-sectional quantitative survey design was adopted. A structured electronic questionnaire was administered to 391 valid respondents drawn from Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) and the University of Ibadan (UI) during the 2024/2025 academic session using probability proportionate to size sampling. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, simple linear regression, and Hayes’ PROCESS macro for mediation analysis.

Results: Respondents exhibited habitual and compulsive social media engagement, with WhatsApp dominant for both content-sharing and news consumption. Students demonstrated strongest proficiency in news literacy, intermediate social media literacy, and weakest general media literacy. A significant awareness–behaviour gap was identified: all three literacy dimensions positively and significantly predicted self-efficacy and cognitive needs, and both mediators were positively associated with social media risk behaviour. Five of six mediation hypotheses revealed unexpected positive partial mediation, indicating that higher literacy indirectly increases risk exposure through elevated self-efficacy and cognitive engagement.

Conclusions: Media literacy, as naturally developed through informal digital engagement, does not mitigate social media risk behaviour. On the contrary, higher literacy was associated with greater risk exposure via an “awareness–behaviour paradox.” Genuine risk mitigation requires deliberate instruction in self-regulation, ethical digital conduct, and algorithmic awareness beyond technical skills.

Keywords: Media Literacy; Social Media Risks; Self-Efficacy; Cognitive Needs; University Students; Oyo State; Nigeria

How to cite this article:
JAMES Patience Ada. The Awareness–Behaviour Paradox: Media Literacy and Social Media Risk Behaviour Among Nigerian Undergraduates. International Journal of Behavioral Sciences. 2026; 03(01):-.
How to cite this URL:
JAMES Patience Ada. The Awareness–Behaviour Paradox: Media Literacy and Social Media Risk Behaviour Among Nigerian Undergraduates. International Journal of Behavioral Sciences. 2026; 03(01):-. Available from: https://journals.stmjournals.com/ijbsc/article=2026/view=247101


References

  1. Akeusola B. Preventing cyberbullying in Nigeria: The effectiveness of social media literacy education for young people. Journal of Current Social and Political Issues. 2024 Aug 15;2(2):60-73.
  2. Bandura A. Social foundations of thought and action. Englewood Cliffs, NJ.1986;1986(23-28):2.
  3. Bonsaksen T, Steigen AM, Stea TH, Kleppang AL, Lien L, Leonhardt M. Negative social media-related experiences and lower general self-efficacy are associated with depressive symptoms in adolescents. Frontiers in public health. 2023 Jan 6;10:1037375.
  4. Cabello-Hutt T, Cabello P, Claro M. Online opportunities and risks for children and adolescents: The role of digital skills, age, gender and parental mediation in Brazil. new media & society. 2018 Jul;20(7):2411-31.https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444817724168
  5. Cho H, Cannon J, Lopez R, Li W. Social media literacy: A conceptual framework. New media & society. 2024 Feb;26(2):941-60.
  6. Hocevar KP, Flanagin AJ, Metzger MJ. Social media self-efficacy and information evaluation online. Computers in Human Behavior. 2014 Oct 1;39:254-62.
  7. Katz E, Blumler JG, Gurevitch M. Uses and gratifications research. The public opinion quarterly. 1973 Dec 1;37(4):509-23.
  8.  Koc M, Barut E. Development and validation of New Media Literacy Scale (NMLS) for university students. Computers in human behavior. 2016 Oct 1;63:834-43.
  9. Chuan CL, Penyelidikan J. Sample size estimation using Krejcie and Morgan and Cohen statistical power analysis: A comparison. Jurnal penyelidikan ipbl. 2006;7(1):78-86.
  10. Leung L. Predicting Internet risks: a longitudinal panel study of gratifications-sought, Internet addiction symptoms, and social media use among children and adolescents. Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine: An Open Access Journal. 2014 Jan 1;2(1):424-39.
  11. Lins de Holanda Coelho G, HP Hanel P, J. Wolf L. The very efficient assessment of need for cognition: Developing a six-item version. Assessment. 2020 Dec;27(8):1870-85.
  12. Livingstone S, Helsper E. Balancing opportunities and risks in teenagers’ use of the internet: The role of online skills and internet self-efficacy. New media &; society. 2010 Mar;12(2):309-29.
  13. Maksl A, Ashley S, Craft S. Measuring news media literacy. Journal of Media Literacy Education. 2015;6(3):29-45.
  14. McLean SA, Paxton SJ, Wertheim EH. Does media literacy mitigate risk for reduced body satisfaction following exposure to thin-ideal media?. Journal of youth and
    adolescence. 2016 Aug;45(8):1678-95.
  15. Ndubueze PN. Third-Party and Fake News Policing on WhatsApp Groups in Nigeria: An Exploratory Study. NIGERIAN JOURNAL OF CRIMINOLOGY AND SECURITY STUDIES. 2025 Jun 30;1(1):89-106.
  16. Atrian N, Omrani G, Mahdikhani M. Media literacy and social health: An analysis of the relationships between indicators among students of Islamic Azad University of Shahinshahr. Society Culture Media. 2020 Aug 22;9(35):31-53.
  17. Nwosu KC, Ikwuka DO, Onyinyechi MU, Unachukwu GC. Does the Association of Social Media Use with Problematic Internet Behaviours Predict Undergraduate Students’ Academic Procrastination?. Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology. 2020;46(1):n1.
  18. Powers KL. Social Media Use and Media Literacy in Relation to Adolescents’ Understanding of the Internet. City University of New York; 2017.
  19. Scull TM, Dodson CV, Geller JG, Reeder LC, Stump KN. A media literacy education approach to high school sexual health education: immediate effects of media aware on adolescents’ media, sexual health, and communication outcomes. Journal of Youth and Adolescence. 2022 Apr;51(4):708-23.
  20. Shi J, Chen Z, Tian M. Internet self-efficacy, the need for cognition, and sensation seeking as predictors of problematic use of the Internet. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking. 2011 Apr 1;14(4):231-4.
  21.  Tandoc Jr EC, Yee AZ, Ong J, Lee JC, Xu D, Han Z, Matthew CC, Ng JS, Lim CM, Cheng LR, Cayabyab MY. Developing a perceived social media literacy scale: Evidence from Singapore. International Journal of Communication. 2021 May 29;15:22-.
  22.  Tayo SS, Adebola ST, Yahya DO. Social Media: Usage and Influence on Undergraduate Studies in Nigerian Universities. International Journal of Education and Development using Information and Communication Technology. 2019;15(3):53-62.
  23.  Laanpere M. Recommendations on assessment tools for monitoring digital literacy within UNESCO’s digital literacy global framework. Information Paper. 2019 Jan;56:23.
  24. SS Teo S, Griffiths G. Child protection in the time of COVID‐19. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health. 2020 Jun;56(6):838-40.
  25. Usman B, Eric Msughter A, Olaitan Ridwanullah A. Social media literacy: fake news consumption and perception of COVID-19 in Nigeria. Cogent Arts & Humanities. 2022 Dec 31;9(1):2138011.
  26. Vahedi Z, Sibalis A, Sutherland JE. Are media literacy interventions effective at changing attitudes and intentions towards risky health behaviors in adolescents? A meta-analytic review. Journal of adolescence. 2018 Aug 1;67:140-52.
  27. Vannucci A, Simpson EG, Gagnon S, Ohannessian CM. Social media use and risky behaviors in adolescents: A meta-analysis. Journal of adolescence. 2020 Feb 1;79:258-74.
  28.  Vissenberg J, d’Haenens L, Livingstone S. Digital literacy and online resilience as facilitators of young people’s well-being?. European Psychologist. 2022 Apr 5.
  29.  Vosoughi S, Roy D, Aral S. The spread of true and false news online. science. 2018 Mar 9;359(6380):1146-51.
Ahead of Print Subscription Review Article
Volume 03
01
Received 22/05/2026
Accepted 01/06/2026
Published 02/06/2026
Publication Time 11 Days
30

Login


My IP

PlumX Metrics