<![CDATA[This study aims to analyze and compare the duration of social media usage among Vocational High School (SMK) students in Parepare City, specifically at SMKN 2 and SMKN 3, using a quantitative analytical approach based on descriptive and inferential statistics. The study involved 100 students who were randomly selected from both schools. The primary data in the form of the duration of social media usage were obtained from screen time records on students' smartphones for three consecutive days, while a Likert-scale questionnaire was used as supporting data to describe patterns and tendencies of usage. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, an independent t-test to compare the duration of usage between schools, and a one-way ANOVA test to examine differences in duration among social media platforms. The results of the analysis showed that there was no significant difference in the duration of social media usage between students of SMKN 2 and SMKN 3 (p 0.05). However, there was a significant difference among platforms (p 0.001), with TikTok as the dominant platform with an average of 436.4 minutes over three days, followed by WhatsApp (345.4 minutes), Instagram (264.0 minutes), and YouTube (185.0 minutes). The average duration of students' social media usage reached approximately 6–7 hours per day, which is relatively higher compared to national reports. This comparison is indicative considering the differences in platform definitions and measurement methods. The findings of this study indicate the need for digital literacy assistance in the school environment so that social media usage can be managed more wisely and does not negatively affect the students' learning process]]>
