The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting lockdowns increased access to specific social media usage, underscoring the importance of health science communicators sharing accurate information on popular platforms. This study aimed to investigate social media information-seeking behaviors during the COVID-19 outbreak when states were under lockdown orders. The study described respondents' perceptions of COVID-19 information on social media, types of social media platforms used, people respondents connected with, and the relationship between social media use and the groups respondents connected with. An online survey was administered to 1,048 respondents in the United States via Qualtrics using non-probability opt-in sampling to capture information-seeking behaviors using researcher-adapted scales. The information could help determine the potential of leveraging online social networks to communicate credible health science messages. The results showed that over 70% of the respondents felt overwhelmed while searching for COVID-19 information, had difficulty accessing or interpreting additional information, and sometimes avoided news about COVID-19. Also, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter were the most popular social media platforms for COVID-19 information. Notably, Facebook was the most widely used platform during lockdowns. Meanwhile, respondents primarily used Facebook to connect with friends and family during the pandemic, and those with more social networks accessed social media platforms more frequently. The findings emphasize the crucial role of Facebook in sharing trustworthy information during the COVID-19 pandemic. They also underscore the need for strategies to help individuals navigate the overwhelming volume of information, including misinformation on social media platforms, especially in times of crisis. Plain language summary: This study utilized a non-experimental descriptive survey design to examine social media information-seeking behaviors during the COVID-19 outbreak, particularly during lockdown periods. The objectives were to describe perceptions of COVID-19 information on social media, explore the platforms used during lockdown, identify groups of connections on social media, and determine if platform use varied based on connected groups. An online survey was administered via Qualtrics to gather data on information-seeking behaviors, reaching 1,048 respondents in the United States through non-probability opt-in sampling. The survey included the perceptions of the information availability scale and information-seeking behavior scale the information availability scale, and some researcher-adapted Likert-type scales. The results revealed that more than 70% of respondents felt overwhelmed while searching for COVID-19 information, encountered difficulties accessing and interpreting additional information, and sometimes even avoided news about the pandemic. Among social media platforms, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter were the most popular for obtaining COVID-19 information. Notably, Facebook emerged as the most widely used platform during lockdowns. Furthermore, respondents primarily utilized Facebook to connect with friends and family during the pandemic, and those with larger social networks tended to access social media platforms more frequently. These findings highlight the significant role of Facebook in disseminating reliable information during the COVID-19 pandemic. They also emphasize the importance of implementing strategies to help individuals navigate the overwhelming amount of information, including misinformation, on social media platforms, particularly during times of crisis. It is worth noting that there is limited generalizability due to the US-centric sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]