From social media use to digital gambling, emerging concerns about student well-being are prompting colleges to rethink their approaches to technology.
Students’ relationships with technology are raising new questions for colleges and universities.
Technology has increasingly become central to the college experience, influencing how students learn, communicate, build relationships and navigate challenges both in and outside the classroom.
But as digital platforms and artificial intelligence become more embedded in students’ daily lives, questions are emerging about how those technologies affect their mental health and overall well-being.
Recent research and reporting highlight the complicated relationship
Recent research and reporting highlight the complicated relationship between technology use and student well-being, including the links between social media and loneliness, the growing use of AI for emotional support, and concerns about excessive internet use and digital gambling. At the same time, some institutions are exploring ways to encourage students to disconnect from their devices and engage more intentionally with their campus communities.
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Here are five takeaways from recent Inside Higher Ed Student Success coverage on the challenges and opportunities related to supporting student well-being in the digital age.
- Social media use is linked to loneliness.
More than half of college students nationwide may experience loneliness, according to new research from the University of Cincinnati, which also found that those who spend the most time on social media are particularly likely to feel isolated.
The study, based on survey data from nearly
The study, based on survey data from nearly 65,000 students ages 18 to 24 across more than 120 colleges nationwide, found that spending just 16 hours a week—a little more than two hours a day—on social media was linked with higher rates of loneliness.
Loneliness was measured by asking students how often they felt left out, lacked companionship or felt isolated. Students were also asked how many hours they spent on social media in a typical week. About 13 percent of students were classified as excessive social media users, defined as spending at least 16 hours a week online.
Students who used social media for 16 to 20 hours a week were 19 percent more likely to report feeling lonely than those who didn’t use it at all. The difference grew to 23 percent among those who spent 21 to 25 hours a week online and 34 percent among those who spent 26 to 30 hours. The heaviest users—those spending at least 30 hours a week on social media—were 38 percent more likely to report feeling lonely.
Madelyn Hill, an assistant professor at Ohio University
Madelyn Hill, an assistant professor at Ohio University who led the study while completing her doctoral work in the University of Cincinnati, said colleges should take a more proactive approach to educating students about the potential effects of excessive social media use, including encouraging them to set time limits and prioritize in-person connections. “Increasing educational campaigns and messaging around that is important,” she said.
- Excessive internet use raises concerns, especially for young men.
Student success professionals are particularly worried about loneliness, social isolation and belonging among young men, who are less likely to seek mental health support than women. But the challenges facing them extend beyond mental health, intersecting with how they spend their time online and their relationships with others.
The two-day Symposium on Young American Men, held in Washington, D.C., in September, brought together lawmakers, researchers, journalists and organizational leaders to examine challenges facing young men and potential policy solutions. Discussions focused on issues ranging from declining college enrollment and mental health to technology use and economic opportunity, highlighting how these challenges intersect and shape young men’s futures.
For higher education leaders, those overlapping pressures raise questions about what colleges can do to better support young men’s well-being and success. Survey research released during the symposium found that more than half of men between the ages of 18 and 30 spend over five hours online each day.
