A SCREEN IS NOT A HUMAN BEING: Heavy social media use linked with loneliness in college students, new research finds.

“Despite the intention of social connection, social media platforms may not provide college students with the necessary social fulfillment to combat loneliness,” the study found.

Published in February in the Journal of American College Health, the study had crunched the social media use data of 64,988 students ages 18 to 24 at more than 120 four-year universities.

The results? “Students who used social media at least 16 hours a week — averaging more than two hours a day — had significantly higher odds of reporting loneliness,” a news release from the university stated.

One key reason why social media use is linked to increased loneliness is because it has replaced real, face-to-face interaction in many cases, said University of Cincinnati health promotion and education Professor Rebecca Vidourek, a co-author of the study.

“Social media is used as a substitute for human interaction rather than a supplement,” Vidourek told The College Fix. “That can contribute to feelings of isolation and loneliness.”

It’s been a few decades, but the first thing I did at college was ask about which bars just checked for a student ID, instead of a driver’s license for proof of 21.

The results were hit and miss, but it sure beat the hell out of X.