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Montag C, Demetrovics Z, Elhai JD, Grant D, Koning I, Rumpf HJ, M Spada M, Throuvala M, van den Eijnden R. Problematic social media use in childhood and adolescence. Addict Behav 2024; 153:107980. [PMID: 38387131 DOI: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2024.107980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2023] [Revised: 01/23/2024] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024]
Abstract
At the time of writing, about 4.59 billion people use social media with many adolescents using their social media accounts across a myriad of applications and platforms. According to recent statistics, in 2022 individuals spent an average of 151 minutes on social media each day, illustrating the global relevance of social media (Dixon, 2022a,b). One of the pressing questions, internationally, is whether social media use is harmful and/or addictive. This question is of particular importance because many teenagers - and younger adolescents - spend considerable time on these platforms, which have increasingly become an integral part of their lives. Moreover, considering lifespan development, adolescents may be particularly vulnerable to specific features and advertisements shown to them on social media platforms. Growing prevalence of poor mental health in young people has led to recent recommendations in the United States to routinely screen for anxiety in 8-18 year olds, and for depression and suicide risk for adolescents between 12-18 years of age (US Preventive Services Task Force et al., 2022 a,b) - the conditions often accompanying problematic social media use. The present work not only provides insights into the current state of the literature but provides also recommendations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Montag
- Department of Molecular Psychology, Institute of Psychology and Education, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany.
| | - Zsolt Demetrovics
- Institute of Psychology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary; Centre of Excellence in Responsible Gaming, University of Gibraltar, Gibraltar
| | - Jon D Elhai
- Department of Psychology, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, United States; Department of Psychiatry, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, United States
| | - Don Grant
- Center for Research and Innovation, Newport Healthcare, United States
| | - Ina Koning
- Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences, Clinical Child and Family Studies, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Hans-Jürgen Rumpf
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | | | - Melina Throuvala
- International Gaming Research Unit, Department of Psychology, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, UK; Inclusion West Midlands Gambling Harms Clinic, Stafford, UK; Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust, Paediatric Psychology, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, Leicester, UK
| | - Regina van den Eijnden
- Department of Interdisciplinary Social Science, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
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Stangl FJ, Riedl R, Kiemeswenger R, Montag C. Negative psychological and physiological effects of social networking site use: The example of Facebook. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1141663. [PMID: 37599719 PMCID: PMC10435997 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1141663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2023] [Accepted: 05/03/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Social networking sites (SNS), with Facebook as a prominent example, have become an integral part of our daily lives and more than four billion people worldwide use SNS. However, the (over-)use of SNS also poses both psychological and physiological risks. In the present article, we review the scientific literature on the risk of Facebook (over-)use. Addressing this topic is critical because evidence indicates the development of problematic Facebook use ("Facebook addiction") due to excessive and uncontrolled use behavior with various psychological and physiological effects. We conducted a review to examine the scope, range, and nature of prior empirical research on the negative psychological and physiological effects of Facebook use. Our literature search process revealed a total of 232 papers showing that Facebook use is associated with eight major psychological effects (perceived anxiety, perceived depression, perceived loneliness, perceived eating disorders, perceived self-esteem, perceived life satisfaction, perceived insomnia, and perceived stress) and three physiological effects (physiological stress, human brain alteration, and affective experience state). The review also describes how Facebook use is associated with these effects and provides additional details on the reviewed literature, including research design, sample, age, and measures. Please note that the term "Facebook use" represents an umbrella term in the present work, and in the respective sections it will be made clear what kind of Facebook use is associated with a myriad of investigated psychological variables. Overall, findings indicate that certain kinds of Facebook use may come along with significant risks, both psychologically and physiologically. Based on our review, we also identify potential avenues for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabian J. Stangl
- Digital Business Institute, School of Business and Management, University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria, Steyr, Austria
| | - René Riedl
- Digital Business Institute, School of Business and Management, University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria, Steyr, Austria
- Institute of Business Informatics – Information Engineering, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Linz, Austria
| | - Roman Kiemeswenger
- Institute of Business Informatics – Information Engineering, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Linz, Austria
| | - Christian Montag
- Department of Molecular Psychology, Institute of Psychology and Education, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
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Cheng C, Lau YC. Social Media Addiction during COVID-19-Mandated Physical Distancing: Relatedness Needs as Motives. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph19084621. [PMID: 35457489 PMCID: PMC9032915 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19084621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2022] [Revised: 04/05/2022] [Accepted: 04/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
In the early stages of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, national lockdowns and stay-at-home orders were implemented by many countries to curb the rate of infection. An extended stay-at-home period can frustrate people’s need for relatedness, with many turning to social media to interact with others in the outside world. However, social media use may be maladaptive due to its associations with social media addiction and psychosocial problems. Our study was set at this special context to examine the associations among social media addiction, two aspects of relatedness needs (i.e., satisfaction and frustration), and two prominent psychosocial problems (i.e., depressive symptoms and loneliness). The participants were 1048 residents of the U.K. or U.S. (46% men, mean age = 44.10 years, SD = 12.59, age range: 18–65). The results indicated significant positive associations between relatedness need frustration and social media addiction as well as significant positive associations between social media addiction and the two types of psychosocial problems. More importantly, both of these significant associations were strong enough to partially explain the significant positive associations between relatedness need frustration and the two types of psychosocial problems. These findings provided some support for relatedness need frustration as a motivation of social media addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cecilia Cheng
- Department of Psychology, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
- Correspondence:
| | - Yan-Ching Lau
- Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK;
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Koessmeier C, Büttner OB. Why Are We Distracted by Social Media? Distraction Situations and Strategies, Reasons for Distraction, and Individual Differences. Front Psychol 2021; 12:711416. [PMID: 34925123 PMCID: PMC8674581 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.711416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Social media is a major source of distraction and thus can hinder users from successfully fulfilling certain tasks by tempting them to use social media instead. However, an understanding of why users get distracted by social media is still lacking. We examine the phenomenon of social media distraction by identifying reasons for, situations of, and strategies against social media distraction. The method adopted is a quantitative online survey (N = 329) with a demographically diverse sample. The results reveal two reasons for social media distraction: social (e.g., staying connected and being available) and task-related distraction (e.g., not wanting to pursue a task). We find individual differences in these reasons for distraction. For social distraction, affiliation motive and fear of missing out (FoMO) are significant predictors, while for task-related distraction, self-regulatory capabilities (self-control, problematic social media use) and FoMO are significant predictors. Additionally, typical distraction situations are non-interactive situations (e.g., watching movies, facing unpleasant tasks). Strategies used to reduce distractions mostly involved reducing external distractions (e.g., silencing the device). This paper contributes to the understanding of social media use by revealing insights into social media distraction from the user perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina Koessmeier
- Economic and Consumer Psychology, Department of Computer Science and Applied Cognitive Science, University of Duisburg-Essen, Duisburg, Germany
| | - Oliver B Büttner
- Economic and Consumer Psychology, Department of Computer Science and Applied Cognitive Science, University of Duisburg-Essen, Duisburg, Germany
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Montag C, Yang H, Elhai JD. On the Psychology of TikTok Use: A First Glimpse From Empirical Findings. Front Public Health 2021; 9:641673. [PMID: 33816425 PMCID: PMC8010681 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2021.641673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2020] [Accepted: 01/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
TikTok (in Chinese: DouYin; formerly known as musical.ly) currently represents one of the most successful Chinese social media applications in the world. Since its founding in September 2016, TikTok has seen widespread distribution, in particular, attracting young users to engage in viewing, creating, and commenting on "LipSync-Videos" on the app. Despite its success in terms of user numbers, psychological studies aiming at an understanding of TikTok use are scarce. This narrative review provides a comprehensive overview on the small empirical literature available thus far. In particular, insights from uses and gratification theory in the realm of TikTok are highlighted, and we also discuss aspects of the TikTok platform design. Given the many unexplored research questions related to TikTok use, it is high time to strengthen research efforts to better understand TikTok use and whether certain aspects of its use result in detrimental behavioral effects. In light of user characteristics of the TikTok platform, this research is highly relevant because TikTok users are often adolescents and therefore from a group of potentially vulnerable individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Montag
- Department of Molecular Psychology, Institute of Psychology and Education, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Haibo Yang
- Faculty of Psychology, Tianjin Normal University, Academy of Psychology and Behavior, Tianjin, China
| | - Jon D. Elhai
- Department of Psychology, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, United States
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Cheng C, Lau YC, Luk JW. Social Capital-Accrual, Escape-From-Self, and Time-Displacement Effects of Internet Use During the COVID-19 Stay-at-Home Period: Prospective, Quantitative Survey Study. J Med Internet Res 2020; 22:e22740. [PMID: 33320824 PMCID: PMC7772052 DOI: 10.2196/22740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2020] [Revised: 10/08/2020] [Accepted: 12/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND COVID-19 has spread like wildfire across the globe, prompting many governments to impose unprecedented stay-at-home orders to limit its transmission. During an extended stay-at-home period, individuals may engage in more online leisure activities. Internet use is a double-edged sword that may have both desirable and undesirable effects on psychological well-being, and this study sought to disentangle adaptive from maladaptive internet use amidst this unusual health crisis. OBJECTIVE The objectives of this study were to assess the prevalence of probable depression during the COVID-19 stay-at-home period and to test three hypothesized risk reduction or risk elevation mechanisms, namely social capital-accrual, escape-from-self, and time-displacement effects. METHODS This study took place from March to May 2020 at the early stage of the pandemic. The study adopted a prospective design, with an online survey administered to 573 UK and 474 US adult residents at two assessment points 2 months apart. RESULTS The prevalence of moderate to severe depression was 36% (bootstrap bias-corrected and accelerated [BCa] 95% CI 33%-39%) at Time 1 (ie, initial time point) and 27% (bootstrap BCa 95% CI 25%-30%) at Time 2 (ie, follow-up time point). The results supported the social capital-accrual hypothesis by showing that the approach coping style was inversely associated with Time 2 depression through its positive associations with both social networking and perceived family support. The results also supported the escape-from-self hypothesis by revealing that the avoidant coping style was positively associated with Time 2 depression through its positive associations with both gaming and cyberbullying victimization, but the serial mediation model was no longer significant after Time 1 depression and some demographic risk factors had been controlled for. Finally, the results supported the time-displacement hypothesis by showing that gaming was positively associated with Time 2 depression through its inverse associations with social networking and perceived family support. CONCLUSIONS During the extended stay-at-home period in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, the prevalence of probable depression during the 2-month study period was high among the UK and US residents. Individuals with distinct coping styles may engage in different types of online leisure activities and perceive varying levels of social support, which are associated with risks of probable depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cecilia Cheng
- Social and Health Psychology Laboratory, Department of Psychology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Yan-Ching Lau
- Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jeremy W Luk
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Bethesda, MD, United States
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Schivinski B, Brzozowska-Woś M, Stansbury E, Satel J, Montag C, Pontes HM. Exploring the Role of Social Media Use Motives, Psychological Well-Being, Self-Esteem, and Affect in Problematic Social Media Use. Front Psychol 2020; 11:617140. [PMID: 33391137 PMCID: PMC7772182 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.617140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2020] [Accepted: 11/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Given recent advances in technology, connectivity, and the popularity of social media platforms, recent literature has devoted great attention to problematic Facebook use. However, exploring the potential predictors of problematic social media use beyond Facebook use has become paramount given the increasing popularity of multiple alternative platforms. In this study, a sample of 584 social media users (Mage = 32.28 years; 67.81% female) was recruited to complete an online survey assessing sociodemographic characteristics, patterns, and preferences of social media use, problematic social media use (PSMU), social media use motives, psychological well-being, self-esteem, and positive and negative affect. Results indicated that 6.68% (n = 39) of all respondents could be potentially classed as problematic users. Moreover, further analysis indicated that intrapersonal motive (β = 0.38), negative affect (β = 0.22), daily social media use (β = 0.18), surveillance motive (β = 0.12), and positive affect (β = −0.09) each predicted PSMU. These variables accounted for about 37% of the total variance in PSMU, with intrapersonal motive driving the greatest predictive contribution, over and above the effects of patterns of social media use and sociodemographic variables. These findings contribute to the increasing literature on PSMU. The results of this study are discussed in light of the existing literature on PSMU.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruno Schivinski
- School of Media and Communication, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,The International Cyberpsychology and Addictions Research Laboratory (iCARL), University of Tasmania, Launceston, TAS, Australia
| | | | - Ellena Stansbury
- Psychology Department, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Jason Satel
- The International Cyberpsychology and Addictions Research Laboratory (iCARL), University of Tasmania, Launceston, TAS, Australia.,School of Psychological Sciences, University of Tasmania, Launceston, TAS, Australia
| | - Christian Montag
- Department of Molecular Psychology, Institute of Psychology and Education, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
| | - Halley M Pontes
- The International Cyberpsychology and Addictions Research Laboratory (iCARL), University of Tasmania, Launceston, TAS, Australia.,School of Psychological Sciences, University of Tasmania, Launceston, TAS, Australia
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Schüler J, Wolff W. What Brings Out the Best and Worst of People With a Strong Explicit Achievement Motive? The Role of (Lack of) Achievement Incentives for Performance in an Endurance Task. Front Psychol 2020; 11:932. [PMID: 32528364 PMCID: PMC7264412 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00932] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2020] [Accepted: 04/15/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
An explicit achievement motive is intuitively related to good performance. In contrast, the present paper directs attention to conditions where individuals with a strong explicit achievement motive display poor performance. We hypothesized that participants with a strong achievement motive perform worse in a bicycle ergometer task when task instructions lack achievement incentives than when the instructions include achievement incentives. Furthermore, we expected that, when achievement incentives are lacking, they show even worse performance than participants with a weak achievement motive. For the latter, we assumed that they are relatively unaffected by the achievement incentive content of the instructions. In a within-subject experimental design (N = 55) with two blocks (achievement incentives vs. lack of achievement incentives; each block consisted of three trials), our hypotheses were partly supported. The lack of achievement incentives brought out the worst (regarding performance), but the presence of achievement incentives did not bring out the best of participants with a strong achievement motive. In the discussion, we suggest how to improve future experimental achievement settings and reflect the results within the framework of the differentiation into implicit and explicit motives.
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Houghton D, Pressey A, Istanbulluoglu D. Who needs social networking? An empirical enquiry into the capability of Facebook to meet human needs and satisfaction with life. COMPUTERS IN HUMAN BEHAVIOR 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.chb.2019.09.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
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