Effects of social media use on depressive symptoms among Chinese university students: the mediating roles of self-esteem and social support

Social media use is pervasive among university students and young adults; however, its psychological implications remain debated. This study examined whether self-esteem and perceived social support mediated the association between social media use and depressive tendency. A cluster sample of 635 Chinese undergraduates from universities in Guangdong Province was recruited, yielding 600 valid responses (97.7%). Participants completed standardized scales including the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale. Structural equation modeling with 5,000 bootstrap resamples tested direct and indirect effects. Social media use was positively associated with depressive symptoms and negatively with self-esteem and social support. Both self-esteem and social support mediated this relationship, with stronger effects for self-esteem. Higher levels of social media use were associated with higher depressive symptoms, both directly and indirectly through reduced self-esteem and perceived social support, with self-esteem playing a stronger mediating role.