Relationship between using social networks and internet addiction and depression among students

Aim and Worldwide internet is known as one of the most outstanding information and communication technology and represents the technological advancement of modern humans. Its role in creating social changes is unavoidable. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between using social networks and internet addiction and depression among students. Methods and Materials: The study population consisted of all the students from Isfahan Payame Noor University, Iran. At first, all the studying fields were categorized into three groups of humanities, engineering and science. Then with random sampling, 345 students were selected. The data gathering tool included Beck’s Depression Inventory, Young’s Internet Addiction and researcher made questionnaires. There was a significant relationship between using social network and internet addiction (r = 0.147, P = 0.010). There was no significant relationship between using social network and depression (r = 0.55, P = 0.332). There was also a significant relationship between using social network and internet addiction regarding gender, age and education field variables. This difference was not significant among female and male age groups. But among the education fields, internet addiction was less observed in science compared to humanities and engineering fields. Internet due to its false appeals to users, slowly causes addiction and can satisfy the users psychological and emotional needs. Therefore, replacing interaction with people in the real world rather than social networking can help in developing emotional and social communications.