Engagement with TikTok and its relationship to university students’ academic involvement
The mediating role of social media addiction
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65598/rps.6097Keywords:
TikTok, academic engagement, social media addictionAbstract
This study, based on a non-experimental and quantitative design, was conducted at a private university in Peru with the participation of 483 undergraduate students. A psychometrically validated questionnaire was applied to measure three constructs: engagement with TikTok, TikTok addiction, and academic engagement. Factor analyses confirmed high reliability indices (α = 0.85–0.92) and strong convergent validity (AVE = 0.52–0.75). Results from the structural equation model demonstrated excellent fit (CFI = 0.97; TLI = 0.96; IFI = 0.97) and significant positive relationships among the variables. It was confirmed that engagement with TikTok increases both addiction (β = 0.520; p < 0.001) and academic engagement (β = 0.210; p = 0.003). Moreover, addiction operates as a partial mediator in this relationship, with a positive indirect effect (β = 0.185; p = 0.014). These findings, although counterintuitive, suggest that social media addiction does not necessarily entail academic deterioration; instead, it may be channeled into forms of student participation that strengthen university commitment. The study provides empirical evidence contextualized to the Peruvian setting and highlights the need for pedagogical strategies and digital literacy initiatives that maximize the benefits of TikTok while mitigating its addictive risks.
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