Sexting, fear of missing out (FOMO), and problematic social network use among adolescents

Abstract

The article is part of the current discussion on the scale and mechanisms of selected threats of the digital world to which adolescents are exposed. The text presents data on three e-risks: FOMO, Problematic Use of Social Networks, and sexting. The study covered adolescents aged 13-17 in Poland (N=1053) in 2020. Based on analyses of the quantitative data, it was noted that: 1) Almost half of the adolescents use SNS daily just before going to sleep; 2) Every fourth respondent has multiple features of problematic Internet use (PUI); 3) The majority of adolescents use the Internet in ways not classified as PUI; 4) The age and gender (female) of the respondents is associated with higher levels of PUI; 5) The vast majority of adolescents have no experience of sexting; 6) Adolescents are much more often recipients of materials classified as sexting than creators; 7) Girls receive erotic messages, much more often than boys.