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This study examined the link between the psychosocial well-being and social media use of international students in the US at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, when social isolation was mandated. Unlike prior research, which has typically focused on a single aspect of psychosocial well-being, we conceptualized international students' well-being as a multidimensional construct including internalizing symptoms (i.e., depression, anxiety, loneliness) as well as markers of intercultural difficulties. We then investigated social media use as a function of international students' idiosyncratic well-being vulnerabilities. A latent profile analysis revealed four groups with distinctive psychosocial profiles: well-adjusted students, interculturally adjusted students with internalizing symptoms, students with low internalizing symptoms but high intercultural difficulties, and maladjusted students with high internalizing symptoms and high intercultural difficulties. Supporting the social compensation perspective, maladjusted international students reported the highest engagement with social media compared to the other groups. These findings shed light on the unique and heterogenous experiences of international students at the onset of the pandemic. They also add nuance to the social compensation hypothesis by delineating person-specific associations between psychosocial well-being and social media use. • Latent profile analysis captured international students' psychosocial well-being at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. • Majority of international students experienced undesirable psychosocial stress, yet individual experiences were different. • "Well-being profiles" and their link to social media use during a period of social isolation (lockdown) were identified. • Maladjustment expressed by internalizing symptoms and intercultural difficulties fostered social media use. • All international students actively engaged with their home network, emphasizing social media's role in home connectedness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]