NJOMACS

At the global level, studies are attempting to ascertain the effect of social media (SM) usage on youths’ self-esteem. Though, there is paucity of studies of this nature in Nigeria. Consequently, th e inquiry investigated the impact of SM usage on youths’ self-esteem in South-Western Nigeria. Using a survey research design, the study elicited data from 384 youths in the south western states of Osun, Ondo and Lagos. Following analyses of data, result showed that: a good number of the sampled youths have high self-esteem; even though some expressed dissatisfaction about themselves and wanting to get more respect from others. Although all variables from the result of the multiple regression conducted predicted youths’ self-esteem, factors such as gender, length of engagement on SM, frequency of engagement on SM, sources of content, and types of content uploaded on SM were positively connected with youths’ self-esteem. While being wary of the negative effects of SM usage on youths, campaign and intervention programmes are needed to educate and orientate youths on best possible ways to use SM to define their selves and improve their self-worth.