To contribute to knowledge about the debated relationship between social media use and mental health, this study investigates whether time spent on social media significantly influences depression, anxiety, and stress levels among young adults in Bahrain. In addition, this study gauges whether sociability and social comparison mediate the influence of social media use on depression, anxiety, and stress levels. Participants (n = 439) between the ages of 18 and 25 completed an online questionnaire with DASS 21 and social media behavior scales. Results show that more time spent interacting on social media leads to more depression and stress in young adults, but not necessarily more anxiety. Interesting mediating relationships are also found. Our findings highlight the idiosyncrasies of the social behaviors of young adults on social media. Indeed, they reflect how being ‘social’ on social media can translate to different behaviors and, hence, affect the psychological well-being of young adults in different ways. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.