Comparative Review of Reasons behind Tendency of Tehran District 3 High School Girl and Boy Students to Use Mobile Social Networks (Telegram, Viber, WhatsApp & Tango)

This study intends to comparatively review the reasons behind tendency of girl and boy students of high schools of Tehran’s District 3 to use mobile social networks
(Telegram, Viber, WhatsApp & Tango) in order to be informed of the tendency of students towards mobile social networks among the statistical population. The study is an applied research in terms of its objectives and descriptive-survey [and in a specific period of time] in terms of its methodology.
The statistical population of the study, totaling 3697 teenagers, comprises all the girl and boy students at high school level (natural sciences branch) of Tehran’s District 3 in the academic year 2015-2016. The research was conducted on the sample population of 348 students chosen according to Cochran Formula and through stratified sampling. Questionnaires were used to collect the needed data and SPSS software was applied to analyze the data. To examine the research hypotheses, Kolmogorov–Smirnov test, independent T-test, one way analysis of variance (F-test and Welch test) and Friedman test were applied. The research findings show that there is significant relationship between the leisure time, the excitement of virtual space, the strengthening of social relations and satisfaction of personal needs and tendency towards mobile social networks in girl and boy students. However, there exists no significant diffeence between the free flow of information and education and tendency towards mobile social networks among girl and boy students. Therefore, the research hypotheses one, two, four and five are verified and hypotheses three and six are not supported. Hypotheses seven and eight indicate that there is significant relationship between the branch of study and education progress on the one hand and the tendeny towards mobile social networks among girl and boy students on the other. Hypotheses seven and eight are verified. In light of the research findings, applied and practical proposals have been presented for rational usage of mobile social networks by students.