Social media is increasingly becoming a ubiquitous part of the lives of teenagers, which affects their mental health, especially their self-esteem. The research explores the correlation between social media use and adolescents' self-esteem, including gender variations in psychological development. It was a mixed-methods design that used both quantitative and qualitative methods to evaluate the effectiveness of social media on self-esteem in 500 adolescents (250 boys and 250 girls) aged 14-18. The findings show that there is a strong negative association between self-esteem and the use of social media among both sexes, with females exhibiting a greater degree of body image dissatisfaction and emotional distress. Although social comparison is done by both male and female adolescents, females tend to compare themselves through their appearance, resulting in low self-esteem. Males, in contrast, are more inclined to compare their success and accomplishments, which have certain effects on their self-esteem, but to a lesser extent. The emotional well-being was also an important mediator between social media use and self-esteem, and the more the adolescents were emotionally distressed, the lower their self-esteem. The findings suggest the need for gender-specific interventions to address the negative psychological effects of social media and promote healthier engagement with digital platforms.