Associations between social media usage, daily routines, and academic performance among undergraduate Rwandan students: a cross-sectional study

Background Globally, technological progression has changed social media usage into daily occupations which influence how people engage, communicate, and learn. Among university students, these platforms enhance collective learning and access to information; but underuse or overuse may damage academic engagement, occupational balance, and daily functioning. Despite the growing importance and use of these social media in Rwanda, research on its impact remains scarce. Therefore, we assessed the associations between social media use, daily routines, and academic performance among undergraduate students. Method A cross-sectional study was conducted among 219 undergraduate students from the University of Rwanda. Descriptive statistics summarize demographic characteristics and social medial use patterns. Analytical analyses comprised multinomial, logistic, and multiple linear regression models to determine predictors of daily routines and academic outcomes. Odds ratio (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals and statistically significant at p < 0.05 were used. Results Almost all participants ( n = 192, 87.7%) engaged in social media platforms for academic purposes, and 93.6% viewed platforms as important to their collaboration with peers and professionals. However, nearly half (47.5%) experienced academic distraction, and 56.7% spent more time on non-academic content. Engaging in social media accounts for 33,6% of variance in increasing academic engagement. However, addicted students to social media had higher likelihoods to experience routine disruption (OR = 1.45, 95%CI: 1.10–1.90, p = 0.01) than non-addicted peers. Participants engaged in more than three social media platforms reported more disruptions (OR = 1.60, 95%CI: 1.05–2.45, p = 0.03) than those engaging in three or less platforms. The third-year students were almost twice as likely as first-year students to experience those disruptions (OR = 1.75, 95% CI: 1.20–2.55, p = 0.003). Conclusion Social media platforms are important sources for learning, yet they also cause routine disruptions. These results notify that future scholars are recommended to explore causal relationships between social media use and daily routines disruptions through longitudinal designs.