Freedom and Responsibility in Social Media Use: A Classification of Mental Health Profiles Among University Students

The interplay between freedom and responsibility has long been central to philosophical and psychological discussions of mental health; however, empirical evidence on this issue remains limited and inconsistent. This cross-sectional study investigated whether perceived freedom in social media use, when combined with responsibility, relates to distinct profiles spanning both positive and negative mental health indicators. A total of 195 university students in Vietnam and China (mean age = 20.28 years, SD = 2.66) were surveyed using validated instruments. Based on the two dimensions of perceived freedom in social media use and responsibility, four distinct user profiles were identified: (1) a high freedom–high responsibility profile, characterized by higher life satisfaction and meaning in life; (2) a high freedom–low responsibility profile, associated with lower levels of life satisfaction and meaning in life; (3) a low freedom–high responsibility profile, which showed relatively stable levels of life satisfaction and meaning in life; and (4) a low freedom–low responsibility profile, marked by the lowest levels of life satisfaction and meaning in life. No significant differences were observed across profiles with respect to depression and anxiety. These findings suggest that a balanced integration of freedom and responsibility is associated with more adaptive mental health outcomes.