"About 13 percent of students were classified as excessive users-defined as spending at least 16 hours a week on social media-and the more time they spent online, the higher their odds of reporting loneliness. Students who used social media for 16 to 20 hours a week were 19 percent more likely to say they were lonely than those who didn't use it at all."
"It was based on survey data from nearly 65,000 students ages 18 to 24 across more than 120 colleges nationwide. Hill noted that the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic may contribute to students' loneliness as well. "With college students, they really are our COVID kids, so they lost some of those foundational social pieces in their lives," she said. Loneliness was measured by asking students how often they felt left out, lacked companionship or felt isolated."
More than half of college students nationwide report feelings of loneliness and isolation. Spending at least 16 hours per week on social media is associated with higher odds of loneliness. About 13 percent of students used social media excessively, defined as 16+ hours weekly. Students who used social media 16–20 hours weekly were 19% more likely to report loneliness than nonusers, with higher hourly groups showing larger increases. Survey data came from nearly 65,000 students ages 18–24 at over 120 colleges. The data do not establish direct causation, and lingering COVID-19 effects may contribute to loneliness.
Read at Inside Higher Ed | Higher Education News, Events and Jobs
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