Social media addiction, nomophobia, and social anxiety among adolescents: A mediation analysis

Purpose

Nomophobia is an increasing public health problem affecting the physical, cognitive, and psychosocial health of adolescents. Social anxiety and social media addiction are two significant concerns that can exacerbate nomophobia behaviors. The present study aimed to investigate the mediating role of social anxiety in the relationship between social media addiction and nomophobia among adolescents.

Design and methods

A cross-sectional design was conducted. The study was completed with 1724 adolescents. Data were collected via Personal Information Form, the Nomophobia Questionnaire, the Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents, and the Social Media Addiction Scale. Process Macro Model 4, which can estimate direct and indirect effects, was conducted to verify the mediating role.

Results

More than half of the adolescents (62.8 %) had moderate to extreme levels of nomophobia behaviors, one in three adolescents was addicted to social media (32 %), and the level of social anxiety perceived by the majority was medium (mean = 43.40). The study found an indirect mediating role of social anxiety (12.4 %) in the relationship between social media addiction and nomophobia.

Conclusion

This study concluded that social anxiety has a partial mediating role in the effect of social media addiction and nomophobia.

Practice implications

Nurses could develop practical strategies, such as peer support programs, parental awareness programs by considering the impact of social media addiction and the mediating role of social anxiety in decreasing nomophobia in adolescents. Nurses could design emotion regulation enhancement programs, and encourage them to participate in sportive or artistic activities to improve peer interactions.