Social Media Addiction and Adolescents: Relationship Between Social Media and Eating Behaviors During Pandemic

The present study aimed to investigate the links between internet and social media usage, social media addiction, and eating behaviors of adolescents during coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic in Türkiye. A total number of 346 adolescents (243 girls and 103 boys) participated in the study. Daily internet, social media, and social media tools usage (h/day) were questioned. Participants completed the Social Media Addiction Scale for Adolescents for measurement of social media addiction and the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire for investigation of eating behaviors. Daily internet and social media usage were found to be 6.1 ± 3.2 and 2.9 ± 2.2 hours, respectively, for boys and 6.0 ± 3.1 and 3.2 ± 2.3 hours, respectively, for girls. Social media addiction levels did not differ between genders, whereas the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire and its subscales (emotional, external, and restrained eating) were statistically higher in girls (p < .001). The Social Media Addiction Scale for Adolescents was positively correlated with daily internet and social media usage duration, Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire, emotional eating, and external eating. Considering the potential interactions between social media and eating behavior, it is necessary to develop effective interventions regarding adolescents' social media usage, eating behaviors, and attitudes. © Author(s).

Mediating Roles of Fear of Missing Out and Boredom Proneness on Psychological Distress and Social Media Addiction Among Indian Adolescents.

Objective: The closure of schools and other educational institutes around the world has been one of the consequences of the COVID-19 and has resulted in online teaching. To facilitate online teaching, there has been an increase in the use of smartphones and tablets among adolescents. However, such enhancement in technology use may put many adolescents at the risk of problematic use of social media. Consequently, the present study explored the direct relationship of psychological distress with social media addiction. The relationship between the two was also assessed indirectly via the fear of missing out (FoMO) and boredom proneness. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted with 505 Indian adolescents aged 12 to 17 years, studying in grades 7 to 12. Standardized tools (with some modifications to suit the context of the present study) were used to collect data. Results: The results showed significant positive associations between psychological distress, social media addiction, FoMO, and boredom proneness. Psychological distress was found to be a significant predictor of social media addiction. Moreover, FoMO and boredom proneness partially mediated the relationships between psychological distress and social media addiction. Discussion: The present study is the first to provide evidence for the specific pathways of FoMO and boredom proneness in the relationships between psychological distress and social media addiction.

The effect of mindfulness on social media addiction among Chinese college students: A serial mediation model.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated social media addiction (SMA), making it urgent to find effective interventions for social media addiction. Evidence has shown that mindfulness might be an effective intervention for social media addiction. However, psychological mechanisms by which mindfulness reduce social media use remain unclear. Here, we further addressed this issue to examine whether attentional control and fear of missing out (FOMO) mediate the relationship between mindfulness and SMA. Methods: We recruited 446 college students from two universities in China and analyzed the data. Results: The results suggest that there are mediation effects of attentional control and FOMO between mindfulness and SMA through 3 paths: path 1, mindfulness → attention control → SMA (-0.04); path 2, mindfulness → FOMO → SMA (-0.22); and path 3, mindfulness → attention control → FOMO → SMA (-0.05). Discussion: Therefore, mindfulness-based interventions may be an effective way to alleviate social media addiction, especially mindfulness-based interventions targeting FOMO. At the end of the article, we also discussed the limitations of this study.

Relationship Between Perceptions of COVID-19 and Social Media Use: A Cross-Sectional Study in Turkey

Objective: Although social networks offer a valuable opportunity to share the most up-to-date information and to assist in the management of the pandemic, they may also be associated with intensification of the societal concerns and fear. In this study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between perceptions of regarding the Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19), social media use and perceived stress in a community sample in Turkey. Methods: The target study population consisted of the healthcare workers of XXXX University and their close relatives/friends. Of the 1564 participants 375 were healthcare workers (24.0%), 481 were non-healthcare workers (30.8%), 297 were students (19.0%), 210 were unemployed subjects (13.4%), and 201 were retired (12.9%) individuals. For data collection sociodemographic form, Perception of COVID-19 (P-COVID-19), Perception of Causes of COVID-19 (PCa-COVID-19), Perception of Control of COVID-19 (PCo-COVID-19), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and Social Network Addiction Scale (SNAS). The scales used were compared among the five groups that made up the sample. Results: Perception of COVID-19 dangerousness and contagiousness was significantly lower in retirees (p=0.003, p

Cyberbullying, Social Media Addiction and Associations with Depression, Anxiety, and Stress among Medical Students in Malaysia.

This study aims to determine the prevalence and factors associated with cyberbullying and social media addiction. This cross-sectional study was conducted among 270 medical students from a public university in Kuching, Malaysia. The instruments used in this study included the cyberbullying questionnaire survey, Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS), and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 21-item (DASS-21). The prevalence of cyberbullying victimization was 24.4%, whilst 13.0% reported cyberbullying perpetration over the past six months. Male gender was positively associated with both cyberbullying perpetration and cybervictimization, whilst social media addiction was positively associated with cybervictimization. Psychological motives such as positive attitudes toward cyberbullying and gaining power were associated with cyberbullying perpetration. Cybervictimization doubled the tendency to depression (aOR 2.50, 95% CI [1.23, 5.08], p = 0.012), anxiety (aOR 2.38, 95% CI [1.29, 4.40], p = 0.006), and stress (aOR 2.85, 95% CI [1.41, 5.77], p = 0.004), whilst social media addiction was associated with a higher tendency to depression (aOR 1.18, 95% CI [1.10, 1.26], p < 0.001), anxiety (aOR 1.15, 95% CI [1.08, 1.22], p < 0.001), and stress (aOR 1.21, 95% CI [1.12, 1.32], p < 0.001). Medical schools in Malaysia need policies and guidelines against cyberbullying.

The Correlation between Social Media Addiction and Emotional Eating during the COVID-19 Quarantine Period.

This study was conducted with 458 participants. The demographic and health information of the participants along with the Social Media Addiction, Emotional Eating Scale were obtained. The level of social media addiction in adults was moderate, and women were more interested in social media than men. As the average age of participants increased, the virtual tolerance, virtual communication, social media scores decreased (p < .05). The study found that 51.6% of individuals with emotional eating tendencies happened to be obese. The social media addiction scale scores of those with emotional eating tendencies were higher than those without emotional eating tendencies (p < .05).

A rise in social media use in adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic: the French validation of the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale in a Canadian cohort.

INTRODUCTION: Social media use has grown dramatically since its inception in the early 2000s and has further increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Problematic use of social media (PUSM) is a type of behavioural addiction which has generated increasing interest among mental health clinicians and scholars in the last decade. PUSM is associated with multiple psychiatric conditions and is known to interfere with patients' daily functioning. There is no single accepted definition of PUSM, nor means of measuring it, in the literature. The Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS) is a helpful tool for identifying PUSM. This paper aims to validate BSMAS and to translate it from English into French, with the goal of making this clinical screening tool for PUSM available in French-language contexts. METHOD: This study explored the psychometric validity of the French version of the BSMAS in a sample of 247 adolescents, who were either psychiatric inpatients (the hospitalized group, n = 123) or recruited in local high schools (the community group, n = 124). RESULTS: The adolescents in the sample reported an increase in their social media use during the COVID-19 pandemic. This increase was more pronounced in the hospitalized group. Confirmatory factorial analysis showed an excellent fit, very good internal consistency and established convergent validity for the French version of the BSMAS. A total of 15.4% of the hospitalization group and 6.5% of the community group met the recommended clinical cutoff of 24 on the BSMAS, suggesting problematic use of social media. CONCLUSIONS: The French version of BSMAS is a psychometrically validated and clinically useful tool to screen for PUSM in adolescents.

Social Media in Adolescents: A Retrospective Correlational Study on Addiction.

Considering the growing interest in the possible effects of internet's addiction on adoles-cent's mental health, this study aimed at exploring the psychological correlates of social media and internet problematic use during the first year of the covid-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional study was conducted in a sample of secondary school students (N = 258); participants were asked to complete an online survey, investigating social media addiction (BSMAS), self-esteem (RSES), feelings of isolation (CSIQ-A) and anxiety (STAI-Y). Data analysis (descriptive statistics, correlational and regression analyses) was conducted through XLSTAT software ©. An additional ad hoc questionnaire was administrated. Findings showed that the 11% of the participants were significantly addicted to social media, mostly females (59%). Gender represented an exposure factor for the hours spent on social media and the checking activity while performing other daily activities. Significant correlations emerged between the self-report measure of social media addiction and self-esteem and anxiety. Low scores at RSES corresponded to higher checking activity, hours spent on social networks, and playing videogames that were investigated as supplementary indicators of addiction with ad hoc questionnaire. The regression analysis showed just two predictors of social media addiction, gender (female) and trait anxiety. Limitations and implications of the study were argued in order to give some indications for future programs.

Social Media Addiction and Mental Health Among University Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Indonesia.

Deteriorating mental health among university students during the COVID-19 pandemic is a serious worldwide public health concern. This study aims to examine the linkage between social media addiction and mental health of university students in Indonesia and to address whether family relationship and religiosity may mitigate the harmful effects of social media on the mental health of students at this time. We collected data from 709 students at universities across the country between June 3 and June 20, 2020. Mental health was measured using 10 items validated by the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression (CES-D) scale. We found that students with higher social media addiction scores had a greater likelihood of experiencing mild depression (OR 1.07, CI: 1.02-1.12). Students who had good relationships with their parents and were more religious showed better mental health than those who had poor relationships with their parents and were less religious. This study suggests the need to mitigate university students' mental health risks through reducing social media addiction while encouraging family relationships and religiosity during the pandemic.

Exploring adolescents' perspectives on social media and mental health and well-being - A qualitative literature review.

Many quantitative studies have supported the association between social media use and poorer mental health, with less known about adolescents' perspectives on social media's impact on their mental health and wellbeing. This narrative literature review aimed to explore their perspectives, focusing on adolescents aged between 13 and 17. It reviewed qualitative studies published between January 2014 and December 2020, retrieved from four databases: APA Psychinfo, Web of Science, PubMed and Google Scholar. The literature search obtained 24 research papers. Five main themes were identified: 1) Self-expression and validation, 2) Appearance comparison and body ideals, 3) Pressure to stay connected, 4) Social engagement and peer support and 5) Exposure to bullying and harmful content. This review has highlighted how social media use can contribute to poor mental health - through validation-seeking practices, fear of judgement, body comparison, addiction and cyberbullying. It also demonstrates social media's positive impact on adolescent wellbeing - through connection, support and discussion forums for those with similar diagnoses. Future research should consider adolescent views on improvements to social media, studying younger participants, and the impact of COVID-19 on social media use and its associated mental health implications.

Effect of Social Media Addiction on Aggression and Overall Quality Of Life on Undergraduate Students

This research examined the effect of social media addiction on aggression and overall quality of life on undergraduate students at Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, Punjab. In the study, survey method was used to collect data. A sample of 50 students were selected for this study. Quality of Life Scale by John Flanagan, Internet Addiction Test by Kimberly S. Young, and The Aggression Scale by Pamela Orpinas and Ralph Frankowski (2001) were administered for data collection. SPSS tool has been used for data analysis. Results indicated that there is a positive and significant connection between social media addiction, aggression, and quality of life. It has also been found that Covid-19 has leaded to increased social media addiction, and therefore, more grave consequences. Copyright © 2022, Anka Publishers. All rights reserved.

Social media addiction and emotions during the disaster recovery period-The moderating role of post-COVID timing

Background: Social media addiction, a recently emerged term in medical science, has attracted the attention of researchers because of its significant physical and psychological effects on its users. The issue has attracted more attention during the COVID era because negative emotions (e.g., anxiety and fear) generated from the COVID pandemic may have increased social media addiction. Therefore, the present study investigates the role of negative emotions and social media addiction (SMA) on health problems during and after the COVID lockdown. Methods: A survey was conducted with 2926 participants aged between 25 and 45 years from all eight divisions of Bangladesh. The data collection period was between 2nd September- 13th October, 2020. Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) was conducted for data analysis by controlling the respondents' working time, leisure time, gender, education, and age. Results: Our study showed that social media addiction and time spent on social media impact health. Interestingly, while anxiety about COVID increased social media addition, fear about COIVD reduced social media addition. Among all considered factors, long working hours contributed most to people's health issues, and its impact on social media addiction and hours was much higher than negative emotions. Furthermore, females were less addicted to social media and faced less health challenges than males. Conclusion: The impacts of negative emotions generated by the COVID disaster on social media addiction and health issues should be reconsidered. Government and employers control people's working time, and stress should be a priority to solve people's social media addiction-related issues. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Estimation of Behavioral Addiction Prevalence During COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Purpose of Review: The COVID-19 pandemic changed people's lifestyles and such changed lifestyles included the potential of increasing addictive behaviors. The present systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to estimate the prevalence of different behavioral addictions (i.e., internet addiction, smartphone addiction, gaming addiction, social media addiction, food addiction, exercise addiction, gambling addiction, and shopping addiction) both overall and separately. Recent Findings: Four databases (PubMed, Scopus, ISI Web of Knowledge, and ProQuest) were searched. Peer-reviewed papers published in English between December 2019 and July 2022 were reviewed and analyzed. Search terms were selected using PECO-S criteria: population (no limitation in participants' characteristics), exposure (COVID-19 pandemic), comparison (healthy populations), outcome (frequency or prevalence of behavioral addiction), and study design (observational study). A total of 94 studies with 237,657 participants from 40 different countries (mean age 25.02 years; 57.41% females). The overall prevalence of behavioral addiction irrespective of addiction type (after correcting for publication bias) was 11.1% (95% CI: 5.4 to 16.8%). The prevalence rates for each separate behavioral addiction (after correcting for publication bias) were 10.6% for internet addiction, 30.7% for smartphone addiction, 5.3% for gaming addiction, 15.1% for social media addiction, 21% for food addiction, 9.4% for sex addiction, 7% for exercise addiction, 7.2% for gambling addiction, and 7.2% for shopping addiction. In the lockdown periods, prevalence of food addiction, gaming addiction, and social media addiction was higher compared to non-lockdown periods. Smartphone and social media addiction was associated with methodological quality of studies (i.e., the higher the risk of boas, the higher the prevalence rate). Other associated factors of social media addiction were the percentage of female participants, mean age of participants, percentage of individuals using the internet in country, and developing status of country. The percentage of individuals in the population using the internet was associated with all the prevalence of behavioral addiction overall and the prevalence of sex addiction and gambling addiction. Gaming addiction prevalence was associated with data collection method (online vs. other methods) that is gaming addiction prevalence was much lower using online methods to collect the data. Summary: Behavioral addictions appeared to be potential health issues during the COVID-19 pandemic. Healthcare providers and government authorities should foster some campaigns that assist people in coping with stress during COVID-19 pandemics to prevent them from developing behavioral addictions during COVID-19 and subsequent pandemics. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40429-022-00435-6.

Understanding Vaccine Hesitancy: Social Isolation in Relation to Social Media Addiction and COVID-19 Anxiety.

BACKGROUND: Despite significant advancements in immunization over the last century, vaccine hesitancy is a major threat to world health. Health-related information available from a variety of sources, including new media such as social media platforms, can encourage vaccine hesitancy. The aim of this study is to determine the level of vaccine hesitation among adults, specifically their belief in the advantages of vaccination and their perceptions of vaccine-related dangers in relation to social media addiction and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) anxiety. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between December 2021 and January 2022, 454 adults participated in an online cross-sectional survey consisting of the social media use disorder scale, the vaccine hesitancy scale, and the coronavirus anxiety scale. RESULTS: The results of the study revealed a strong correlation between social media addiction, vaccine hesitation, and COVID-19 anxiety. CONCLUSION: Given the potential for misinformation to spread through social media, especially in a situation like a pandemic, the conscious use of social media should be emphasized and anti-addiction measures are required. Novel programs including online interventions should be developed to promote vaccination among social media addicts who have relatively high vaccination hesitancy.

The Protective Role of Resilience in the Development of Social Media Addiction in Tertiary Students and Psychometric Properties of the Slovenian Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS).

With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, social media became one of the most utilized sources of information relating to the disease. With the increased reliance on social media, the risk of excessive use and the development of social media addiction emerges. The aim of the present study was to explore the psychometric properties of the Slovenian version of the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale, and to explore how psychological resilience affects social media addiction symptoms directly and indirectly through symptoms of depression, anxiety and mental distress. A large online cross-sectional study was conducted in March 2021 among Slovenian tertiary students (N = 4868). The results showed the high reliability, unidimensionality and criterion validity of the Slovenian Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale. The proposed structural model fit the data well and showed a significant direct positive effect of depression and stress on social media addiction. Moreover, the majority of the negative effects of psychological resilience on social media addiction (87.2%) were indirect, through depression and stress symptoms, whereas resilience had a significantly smaller impact on social media addiction by reducing anxiety symptoms. The overall prevalence of social media addiction symptoms was 4.6%, with females exhibiting higher proportions than men. Additionally, female social media users reported a complete absence of social media addiction symptoms less often compared to males. Future research should further explore the mechanisms behind social media addiction, in order to gain a better understanding of the apparently different risk levels for both genders.

The Relationship Between Attachment Style, Eating Behavior, Emotion Regulation, and Social Media Addiction During COVID-19 Pandemic

Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic affected the usage of social media and other attitudes, such as eating routines. In the present study, the relationship between social media addiction and attachment, eating behavior, and emotion regulation was analyzed in individuals who had an experience of online education or working online during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This study consists of 194 participants who experienced online working or education in Turkey during the COVID-19 pandemic. Demographic form, Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale, Inventory of Experiences in Close Relationships, The Emotion Regulation Difficulty Scale Brief Form, and Eating Attitudes Test-Short Form were used to collect related information. According to demographic informa-tion, the present study consists of 141 female and 44 male participants. Results: Anxious attachment, eating behavior and its 2 subscales which were social pressure and preoc-cupation with eating, emotion dysregulation, and its all subscales were found positively correlated with social media addiction. Regression analyses revealed that only anxious attachment (t = 8.01, P < .001) and “goals” that is subscale of emotion dysregulation were found as a predictor of social media addiction (t = 4.96, P < .05). In addition, a statistically significant relationship was found between the increase in the frequency of social media usage during the pandemic and social media addiction. Conclusion: According to the results of the study, the usage of social media has increased during the pandemic period, and this increase has brought up the risk of social media addiction. As a result, it was emphasized that the relationship between attachment types and emotion regulation should be consid-ered in future studies about social media addiction. © Author(s).

Internet-Related Instruments (Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale, Smartphone Application-Based Addiction Scale, Internet Gaming Disorder Scale-Short Form, and Nomophobia Questionnaire) and Their Associations with Distress among Malaysian University Students.

The present study evaluated the psychometric properties of four instruments related to internet use, namely the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS), Smartphone Application-Based Addiction Scale (SABAS), (nine-item) Internet Gaming Disorder Scale Short Form (IGDS9-SF), and Nomophobia Questionnaire (NMPQ) as well as their associations with psychological distress among Malaysian university students. A total of 380 Malaysian university students (71.6% females, mean age 24.0 years) were recruited through convenience sampling and completed an online survey including questions concerning socio-demographic background, social media addiction, smartphone addiction, internet gaming disorder, and nomophobia. Confirmatory factor analysis and Rasch analysis were applied to evaluate the psychometric properties of the instruments and Cronbach's alpha value and McDonald's omega value were used to confirm the internal consistency reliability of the instruments. The unidimensional structure was confirmed for the BSMAS, SABAS, and IGDS9-SF while the four-factor structure was confirmed for NMPQ. All instruments showed good internal consistency reliability. Promising validity and reliability were confirmed for BSMAS, SABAS, IGDS9-SF, and NMPQ. Therefore, they are useful to assess different types of problematic internet use among university students in Malaysia. Furthermore, a significant association was observed between internet use and psychological distress. The present study is the first to investigate the validity and reliability of BSMAS, SABAS, IGDS9-SF, and NMPQ among Malaysian university students using rigorous psychometric testing methods (i.e., Rasch analysis).

Common predictors of problematic gaming, social media, and pornography use

Introduction: Problematic gaming, social media, and pornography use have all been conceptualized as potential behavioral addictions, sharing similar etiological and neurological mechanisms. Nevertheless, majority of the research to date has investigated these behaviors separately or explored their co-occurrence. The present study aimed to investigate how an identical set of predictors relates to each problematic behavior, exploring the similarities and differences between them. Methods: Data was collected during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic with an online survey among a convenience sample of Hungarians. Three linear regression models with the three different problematic behaviors as outcomes were conducted (problematic social media use/pornography use/gaming N = 332/396/217;gender = 62.2/66.0/69.9% males;mean age = 38.6/39.9/37.6 years;SD = 10.7/11.0/10.0). Results: Findings revealed that depression symptoms were significantly and positively related to all three problem behaviors. Problematic pornography use was associated with male gender, while problematic social media use was associated with female gender. Time spent on each activity was positively correlated with the problematic use of the same activity. Remarkably, playing time was also positively associated with problematic social media use and problematic pornography use. Moreover, loneliness was significantly and positively associated with problematic pornography use. Conclusion: The results indicate that problematic gamers, social media, and pornography users all may experience depression symptoms and that excessive use may result in adverse consequences in all these activities. The current findings extend the knowledge regarding the psychological features of problematic use of games, pornography, and social media, highlighting the need to focus on their common underlying etiological processes.

Effect of social media addiction on eating behavior, body weight and life satisfaction during pandemic period

Purpose>The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between social media addiction and eating behavior, eating disorder risk, body weight and life satisfaction in university students during pandemic period.Design/methodology/approach>The sample consists of 1,411 university students. Data were collected using online questionnaire and Scale of Social Media Usage Motives, Social Media Addiction Scale-Student Form, Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (DEBQ), SCOFF Eating Disorders Scale and Life Assessment Scale were used in the study.Findings>Of the participants, 79.7% had different levels of social media addiction. Body weight and body mass index (BMI) values of those with high social media addiction were significantly higher than those in the non- and low-addicted group (p < 0.05). There was a positive relationship between social media addiction and duration of social media use, social media addiction and emotional and external eating behaviors and a negative relationship between social media addiction and life satisfaction (p < 0.01). There was no significant difference in eating disorder risk according to social media addiction groups (p = 0.823). Individuals in the nonaddicted social media group had the highest Life Assessment Scale score (p < 0.01).Originality/value>Social media addiction was prevalent among university students, and it was related to BMI, eating behavior and life satisfaction. It is necessary to be more careful in the use of social media, which has increased in the pandemic period. Trainings to reduce the use of social media can positively affect eating behavior and contribute to the prevention of obesity and increasing life satisfaction.