By Ellie Dellenbach, Liam Armstrong and Kiran Sjoberg

Navigating romance and dating as college students has never been easy. Students are faced with juggling classes, internships, and extracurriculars, all while deciding what they want their future to look like. 

Today’s young adults have one added ball to juggle when it comes to their dating lives: social media.

For some University of Minnesota students, social media can lead to increased jealousy, comparisons and a new set of expectations within their relationships, said students and couples.

This experience is echoed in a survey conducted by PEW Research Center in 2020. Younger people, aged 18-29, are more likely to feel the effects of social media on their relationships, according to the data.

While the effects of social media on relationships are not limited to college students, Generation Z is the first generation in college to have to learn how to navigate the unique impacts of social platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok.

This younger demographic is more likely to experience feelings of jealousy, view social media as important to their relationship and discuss their relationship on social media, according to the survey.

Women across all age groups are more likely than men to say that social media has caused them to feel jealous or unsure in their relationship. While men aged 18-29 are slightly more likely than women to view social media as important in showing how much they care about their partner, according to the report.

Despite these effects, most social media users in relationships say that social media minimally affects their relationship, according to PEW Research Center.

While social media often affects them as individuals it rarely seems to negatively impact their relationships, said multiple University of Minnesota couples. Some of these couples even credit dating apps as how they originally met.

Social media can benefit those searching for relationships by allowing them to meet people that they otherwise would not, said student James Stenstrup.

In order to navigate young relationships within the realm of social media it is important to first establish a strong sense of communication, trust, and understanding in real life, said University of Minnesota student Zoe Challenger.

“Especially as young adults we are still learning to be people,” said Challenger. “To be in a relationship at this age you have to be accepting of that.”