The Impact of AI and Social Media on Critical Thinking in University Students: Cognitive Decline?

Abstract

This study explores the impact of social media and artificial intelligence (AI) on the critical thinking of first-year university students (UNIVO El Salvador), examining whether digital environments contribute to cognitive fragility. Using a psychosocial and psychoanalytic framework, an exploratory quantitative design was implemented with a validated 55-item Likert-scale instrument measuring three factors: Critical Thinking, Generational Interface, and Alienated Thinking. The sample consisted of 145 students from a private university. Data were analyzed through descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and multiple regression models.

Results show relatively high levels of self-perceived critical thinking alongside moderate digital immersion. A strong association was found between Generational Interface and Alienated Thinking, indicating that digital-contextual factors play a key mediating role. Regression analyses confirmed that Generational Interface is the main predictor of alienated thinking, while critical thinking acts as a moderate protective factor. The findings suggest that digital technologies do not eliminate critical thinking but may reshape it, generating tensions that can lead to cognitive fragility. The study highlights the need for educational strategies that promote reflective autonomy and critical evaluation in digitally mediated contexts.