Abstract
The widespread use of social media has increased concerns regarding the psychological effects of exposure to harmful online content, particularly its association with suicidal thoughts among young adults. The present study investigated the relationship between harmful social media content and suicidal thoughts while examining the moderating role of perceived stress. A quantitative, correlational research design was employed, and a convenience sample of (N=224) university students aged 18 years and above was recruited. Data were collected using standardized instruments, including the Social Media Use Integration Scale (SMUIS), Suicidal Ideation Questionnaire (SIQ), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). Descriptive statistics, Pearson product-moment correlation, independent-samples t-test, and hierarchical multiple regression analyses were performed using IBM SPSS Statistics 25. The findings indicated that all study measures demonstrated acceptable to excellent internal consistency (Cronbach's α = .717–.915). Correlation analysis revealed that harmful social media content was significantly associated with suicidal thoughts, perceived stress, and perceived social support. No significant gender differences were observed across the major study variables. Hierarchical regression analysis showed that harmful social media content and perceived stress significantly predicted suicidal thoughts, accounting for 40% of the variance in suicidal ideation. However, the interaction between harmful social media content and perceived stress was not significant, indicating that perceived stress did not moderate the relationship between harmful social media content and suicidal thoughts. The findings highlight the detrimental psychological impact of harmful social media content and underscore the importance of developing interventions that promote safer online environments, digital literacy, and early mental health support for young adults.