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The pervasive integration of the internet into daily life poses a risk of compulsive use, particularly for young adults whose professional development relies on empathy and interpersonal skills. This study examined the correlations between internet addiction (IA) and facets of social competence among first-year humanities students. The sample comprised 62 students aged 16-19 years from Russian universities. Validated psychological instruments were administered: K. Young’s Internet Addiction Test (IAT), S. Chen’s Internet Addiction Scale (CIAS), A. Mehrabian and N. Epstein’s Balanced Emotional Empathy Scale, A. Shashenkova’s Socio-emotional Competence Questionnaire, M. Snyder’s Self-Monitoring in Communication Test, and O. Vlasova and M. Bereziuk’s Emotional Self-Awareness Inventory. Spearman’s rank correlation analysis was applied. Significant negative correlations were found between IA (both IAT and CIAS) and empathy (r = – 0.475, p ≤ 0.01; r = – 0.427, p ≤ 0.01), emotional self-awareness (r = – 0.33, p = 0.009; r = – 0.267, p = 0.036), and communication self-monitoring (r = – 0.294, p = 0.02; r = – 0.414, p ≤ 0.01). The strongest inverse relationship emerged with personal responsibility (r = – 0.603, p ≤ 0.01; r = – 0.368, p = 0.003). No significant association was observed between IA and the overall socio-emotional competence score. A weak positive correlation between IA (IAT) and socio-emotional awareness (r = 0.284, p = 0.025) suggests that increased online activity might enhance theoretical knowledge about emotions while simultaneously impairing their practical regulation. These findings indicate that internet-dependent students exhibit reduced emotional sensitivity, diminished capacity to recognize and manage their own emotions, poorer communication self-control, and a pronounced tendency to avoid responsibility. The pattern highlights the need for early preventive interventions in higher education to foster emotional and social skills, thereby safeguarding the core professional competencies of future humanities specialists.

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