Abstract
Every technological change comes with positive and negative outcomes. Digital social media is very powerful and effective among all generations of the present. Specifically for youth, social media brings many challenges along with its benefits. It helps to connect virtually with other people but comes with negative impacts. The excessive use of any virtual communication system can have a long term impact on the physical and mental health of a person. The present study attempts to address this issue and explores the gap in understanding social media usage and its effects on selfesteem and psychological well-being. This study involved a correlation design. The sample of the study was collected by the random sampling method, and a sample of 200 college students was selected from different colleges and universities in Assam (M = 71, F = 129). The self-report questionnaires, like the Social Media Addiction Scale Student Form, the Self-Esteem Scale by Rosenberg, and the Psychological Well-being Scale developed by Ryff, were administered to measure the study variables. The findings reported that social media helped them fight loneliness and depression, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown period. The study results also reported that addiction to social media and self-esteem were negatively and significantly correlated. However, social media addiction did not correlate significantly with psychological well-being.
Keywords: Addiction of Media, College Students, Psychological well-Being, Self –Esteem, Social Media