Impact of Media Content on the Moral Construct of Youth: A Study at Tamale Technical University

Aims: The availability of the mass media and the potential broad use of them are two of the key factors that can shape and distort the morality and behavioral nature of people within a territorial space depending on their exposure to its positive or negative aspects. This article identified the influence of social media on the behavior of students, the role of media content in promoting social vices, and the programs most cherished by the youth in the media.

Study Design: The study employed a cross-sectional design.

Place and Duration of Study: Tamale Technical University, between November 2023 and December 2024.

Methodology: We chose a sample size of 240 students using the stratified sampling technique. Data was obtained solely from primary sources using a structured questionnaire as the data collection instrument. We analyzed the data using a combination of frequency counts and simple percentages. We employed Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) to model the factors that influenced youth to become addicted to profane media content.

Results: The most preferred genre among students is football, at 49.5%, followed by news, 12.5%, and comedy, 10%. WhatsApp, at 43%, is the most preferred platform among 73% subscribers of streaming services. As far as content preference goes, adult content is the most preferred at 44.5%, followed by movies at 34%, while web series is the least preferred at 4% only.

Conclusion: The study concluded that football is the most favored genre among students who watch television daily. The study concludes that media content significantly contributes to the promotion of social vices. The study recommends that media regulatory boards should implement stricter regulations to monitor and control the broadcast of explicit and harmful media content, particularly on streaming platforms and television.