Gender differences in the addiction to social networks in the Southern Spanish university students

•The prevalence of addiction to social media is rising among male and female young people.•Little studies in the Spanish context have analyzed the different socio-cultural and biological factors related to this addiction.•Spanish college females are more inclined to use more time the social networks than men.•Gender might have an important role in having an addictive behavior regarding social networks.•Instagram has increased as the predominant social network for communication in male.