Influence of Social Media Use on Behavioural Addiction and Social Isolation Among Healthcare Students: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background Problematic social media use has become an important public health concern worldwide. Its influence is even seen among healthcare students, who rely highly on digital platforms for academic, professional, and social engagement. Behavioural addiction is linked with excessive social media use and poor psychological well-being. The aim of this study is to assess the impact of social media-related behavioural addiction and loneliness and to identify the determinants of problematic social media use and loneliness among healthcare students. Materials and methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among healthcare students, with 200 participants. The Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS) and the UCLA Loneliness Scale (Version 3) were used for data collection. Mann-Whitney U test, Spearman’s correlation, and multiple linear regression were used to analyse the data. Results The mean Bergen Social Media Addiction and UCLA loneliness scores were 15.8 ± 4.71 and 43 ± 13.9, respectively. A significant positive correlation (rs = 0.325, p < 0.001) between problematic social media use and loneliness was found. Duration of daily social media use was the strongest predictor of problematic social media use (β = 0.31, p < 0.001), while family relationship detachment was a significant predictor (β = 0.21, p = 0.003) of loneliness. It was found that the duration of social media use is linked with addiction-like symptoms, and participants who have family detachment reported elevated loneliness. Conclusion The findings highlight the importance of targeted interventions such as digital literacy and the promotion of healthy and balanced social media use for overall mental health and well-being, which aligns with Sustainable Development Goal 3.