Shahd Alhamdan

Saudi Gazette

JEDDAH — Many Saudi mothers nowadays are using social media to avoid the reality of everyday life, becoming addicted to the internet in the process.



Some of these mothers are using social media to kill boredom, while others are turning to social media to avoid loneliness.



Finding information or communicating with their children appear to be the least of their concerns when using social media platforms.



Speaking with Saudi Gazette, Umm Rakan (not her real name), a Saudi divorcee in her late 50s, said that most of the time she does not have anything to do and that the internet helps her in finding information via YouTube or Google.



For her, the internet, as well as social media, is a vital tool because it helps her deal with loneliness and is is always entertaining.



She can fill her time using social media, and she can find news and any information with just one click.



She explained that her favorite social media sites are WhatsApp, Twitter, and Instagram, in that order.



Another Saudi housewife in her late 50s said: “ I use social media all the day, especially at night. These programs link me with the outside world. social media programs are the fastest, smallest tools for connecting you with outsiders.”



She said that social media and the internet were her friends and only form of entertainment.



Maha Mohammad is a single Saudi mother in her 50s who uses social media for several hours each day.



She turns to WhatsApp, Twitter, and other programs to kill the time. She said she also uses these programs to try and forget daily pressures.



Some mothers use these programs to communicate with their children who are studying abroad, so they do not consider themselves addicted to social media.



While their mothers may rely heavily on social media to kill boredom, their children may not be as comfortable with their parents’ usage of the internet.



One Saudi teenager, who did not want her name mentioned, said: “I am kind of annoyed because she is always busy doing something on her phone. Most of the time I have to repeat things. Me and my mother fight a lot because of the social media.”