OHIO faculty member leads study finding that college students who spend hours on social media are more likely to be lonely

A new study surveying tens of thousands of U.S. adults ages 18 to 24 finds that more than half of college students experience loneliness — with the heaviest social media users reporting the highest levels of isolation.                       

According to a new peer-reviewed paper in the Journal of American College Health, just 16 hours a week, or two or so hours a day, on social media was linked with higher odds of loneliness.

The study’s authors said that academic institutions should educate students on the effects of social media use and encourage them to set time limits and attend social events on campus.

“We know that people who are lonely are more likely to become depressed. We also know that those who are lonely are more likely to die early,” Dr. Madelyn Hill, an assistant professor of instruction at Ohio University’s College of Health Sciences and Professions, explained. “Young adulthood is a time of many changes, from leaving home for the first time, to starting college and forming new friendships, and it is vital that colleges and universities do all they can to help their students forge connections with others.”

Hill conducted and led the study while completing her doctoral work at the University of Cincinnati’s School of Human Services in spring of 2025. She joined OHIO’s faculty in the fall of 2025, teaching in the department of social and public health.

Previous studies have found that Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat are among young adults’ favorite social media platforms. Other research suggests that excessive social media use may reduce the amount of time spent socializing face-to-face, however, findings on whether this contributes to loneliness have been mixed. 

To explore this question further, Dr. Hill and colleagues analyzed data from 64,988 individuals ages 18 to 24 across more than 120 colleges who participated in a national survey. Loneliness was assessed by asking participants how often they felt left out, lacked companionship, or felt isolated.

The study found that: 

• 54% of the students were lonely. This is in line with other recent research from the United States
• Female and Black students particularly say they were lonely.
• Students doing hybrid courses were less lonely than those studying face to face, perhaps because they were still able to see their old friends
• Members of fraternities and sororities were among the least likely to be lonely, maybe owing to more opportunities to attend parties and other gatherings
• Those who lived at home were lonelier than those with accommodation on campus

The students were also asked how many hours they spent on social media in a typical week. 

About 13% of them used social media excessively i.e. for at least 16 hours a week and, the more they used it, the higher their odds of feeling lonely. Those who used it for 16 to 20 hours a week were 19% more likely to say they were lonely than those who didn’t use it at all; 21 to 25 and 26 to 30 hours a week were linked with a 23% and 34% higher likelihood of loneliness, respectively; and the heaviest social media users, at least 30 hours a week, were 38% more likely to report being lonely.

The study’s authors acknowledge that they can’t be sure if excessive social media use leads to loneliness or vice versa. They suspect it is a bit of both. Some students who use social media may become lonely because they have less time to see friends in person. Meanwhile, some of those who are lonely may find valuable support online.

The authors also note that some of the students may have underestimated how long they spend online. Nevertheless, they believe that tackling excessive social media use could lower levels of loneliness.

“These results underscore how widespread loneliness is among college students and highlight that excessive social media use may be replacing the meaningful interactions that protect their mental health,” senior author on the paper, Dr. Ashley L. Merianos, of the University of Cincinnati, highlighted. “A key public health strategy to combat this loneliness epidemic is to strengthen social connection and help students build supportive relationships with their peers offline.”

“Academic institutions should educate college students about the potential negative effects of excessive social media use, including loneliness,” Dr. Hill, whose research specialism is to focus on understanding and improving health behaviours such as social media use among children and young adults, said. “Helping students understand how excessive social media use can affect their well-being may lead to some of them assessing how much time they spend on it. They may then cut back on it or even set time limits for themselves.”