Psychosocial Factors that Contribute to Tiktok Addiction Among University Students: A Case of Turkana University College, Kenya

TikTok is a popular social media networking site among university students. The features of this application such as collaborating videos, and duet has attracted and impressed billions of users all around the world and in Turkana University College too. Studies have observed how TikTok addiction is affecting the mental health of users. Generally, this study sought to investigate the psychosocial factors that contribute to TikTok addiction among university students. Self-Determination theory guided the study. The study adopted a mixed method approach with a basis on qualitative and quantitative research design. The sample size was 305 comprising of 300 students spread in the 5 academic departments of Turkana University who were selected using simple random sampling and 5 key informants in the students’ welfare management identified through census. Questionnaires and interviews were utilised as methods of data collection and to enhance validity and reliability. Qualitative data was analysed using thematic content analysis. Quantitative data was analysed with the help of SPSS. Data presentation was through tables, graphs, charts and verbatives. The study findings established that 145(58%) of the respondents were addicted to TikTok because of immense loneliness. Academic pressure attributed to 6% of the addiction which came in as a relaxer during the exam period. Additionally, 30% of students got addicted because of the availability of the university free Wi-Fi and bundles on offer. Findings of this study have major implications on student’s mental wellbeing because, students tended to engage in upward social comparisons with TikTok users perceived as better and more successful, which produced feelings of inferiority and unsuccessfulness. The study concludes that TikTok is a platform full of all kinds of information, with strong openness and interaction, and has a strong attraction and influence on young people. The study recommends that, parents and universities should be more concerned about their student's mental health and cooperate with each other to design effective mental health counselling strategies. There’s need for future research on investigating how specific behaviors on TikTok like ‘live video streaming’ affect users’ self-esteem and mental wellbeing among university students. Key words: Addiction, TikTok, Mental Health, Counseling, Univesrity Students