Social Media Use, Self-Esteem, and Body Image among Psychology Students in a College in Bulacan, Philippines

Social media has become embedded in students' daily routines, raising continued questions about how online engagement relates to psychological self-evaluations. This study examined social media use, self-esteem, and body image among Psychology students tution in Bulacan, Philippines. Using a quantitative, descriptive-correlational design, data were collected from 192 students selected through stratified random sampling. A structured questionnaire measured social media use (habitual ne, social gratification/validation, emotional and psychological dependence), self-esteem (performance, social, and appearance self-esteem), and body image (body appreciation, physical appearance, and body shape/social physique). Internal comistency reliability indices were acceptable to excellent (Cronbach's a = 0.854 - 0.94 ) Descriptive results indicated moderate social media use (composite M = 3.37 SD 0.44) and moderate self-esteem (composite M = 3.35 SD = 0.67 , alongside generally high body image (composite M 3.70, SD=0.63), particularly in body appreciationPearson correlation analysis showed no significa showed no significant association between social media use and self-esteem Cr = 0.094 p = 0.193 ) and no significant association between social media use and body image (r=0.0.38, p = 0.602 ) In contrast-demonstrated a moderate, statistically significant positive relationship with body image (r = 0.451, p < 0.001) , Findings suggest that, in this cohort, body image is more closely aligned with intemal self-evaluative overall social media use as broadly measured. Implications include strengthening student self-esteem and reflective digital practices through guidance-based programming, with future research encouraged to examine content-specific exposure and social comparison processes. Based on the findings, a guidance-based program (REAL: Recognize, Evaluate, Accept, and Live) is proposed for future implementation and evaluation to support self-esteem, body appreciation, and reflective digital engagement.