A University of Cincinnati study found that over half of college students report loneliness, with heavy social-media use associated with a higher risk of isolation. The research signals a growing student-wellness challenge on campuses already stretched by counseling demand and retention pressures. Investigators measured self-reported loneliness and correlated it with platform usage patterns, finding that intensive scrolling and passive engagement were particularly linked to elevated loneliness scores. Campus health officials said the findings should inform counseling outreach, digital-wellness curricula and residence-life programming. Administrators are weighing interventions that combine mental-health services with digital-literacy programs, peer-support networks and targeted outreach to high-risk student cohorts to address both symptoms and drivers of social disconnection.