TY  - JOUR
AU  - Bryan, Stephanie
AU  - Hamilton, Maryellen
AU  - Zimny, Danielle
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/03/30
TI  - Beyond the Feed: Academic, Emotional, and Social Consequences of Social Media Use Among College Students
JO  - OBM Integrative and Complementary Medicine
SP  - 012
VL  - 11
IS  - 01
AB  - In 2025, college students are reportedly more anxious and strained than any previous generation of young people, while they are also the first to have grown up entirely immersed in social media. This research explores social media use patterns and their relationship with academic, emotional, health-related and social well-being among college students. A total of 111 college students from an East Coast university self-selected to complete a one-time assessment anonymously through Qualtrics. A mixed-methods, exploratory design examined relationships among social anxiety, social media addiction, image and upward comparison, social media usage patterns, academic performance-related behaviors, social media-related stress, and sleep. The data reveal that only 18% of students showed no level of social anxiety. Significant correlations emerged between social media addiction and self-control failure, as well as between image-related usage and appearance consciousness. One-way ANOVAs uncovered significant differences across Liebowitz Anxiety subscales and social media use measures. Qualitative data reflects the students’ reality that their social media usage corresponds with increased stress, wasting time, goal impediment, academic strain, self-esteem, image and self-care issues, being less present in real life, social isolation and anxiety, and poor sleep. The findings suggest that social media use negatively affects academics, sleep, and many aspects of emotional, social, and behavioral well-being. Reportedly, 74.6% of student participants have tried to limit their social media use, and 70% would join a “social media fast” to temporarily or perhaps permanently step away from social media to improve their well-being. Their willingness reflects an openness to behavioral change despite entrenched challenges. It is imperative to develop programming and education interventions that highlight productive options for young people to assess the various impacts of their social media usage and present opportunities for behavior adjustments towards the improvement of emotional, mental, social, and physical well-being.
SN  - 2573-4393
UR  - https://doi.org/10.21926/obm.icm.2601012
DO  - 10.21926/obm.icm.2601012
ID  - Bryan2026
ER  -