This study explored the relationship between social media use, sexual health literacy, and healthy lifestyle skills among university students, when social media has rapidly transformed how young adults access and engage with health information.
The aim was to examine whether social media functions as a facilitator or a barrier to health-promoting behaviors in this population.
Using a cross-sectional and descriptive design, 598 participants voluntarily completed an online questionnaire that included socio-demographic information, the Social Media Usage Scale, the Sexual Health Literacy Scale, and the Healthy Lifestyle Skills Scale.
Results indicate that participants demonstrated good levels of sexual health literacy and moderate levels of healthy lifestyle skills. A significant positive relationship was found between sexual health literacy, social media use, and healthy lifestyle skills. Students who had previously received education in sexual health or media literacy achieved significantly higher scores in both sexual health literacy and healthy lifestyle measures.
Additionally, demographic factors such as gender, income level, and place of residence were associated with healthier lifestyle behaviors.
The authors conclude that responsible use of social media may contribute positively to young adults’ sexual health literacy and health-related behaviors. The importance of integrating media literacy and sexual health education into university curricula and public health policies is underlined, and they also suggest that targeted, evidence-based digital interventions could support young people in critically navigating health information and promoting long-term individual and public health outcomes.
Learn more about this study here: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-25651-3
Reference
Dülger, H., Ada, G., Dilcen, H. Y., & Bilişli, Y. (2026). Social media’s effect on sexual literacy and healthy life skills in young adults. BMC Public Health, 26(1)