Understanding daily problematic social media use of young adults
The role of trait- and state-fear of missing out
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21579916 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Xuemei Gao (0000-0003-4912-6133, Psychological Research and Consultation Center, Southwest Jiaotong University, corresponding author), Jiayu Li (0000-0001-9572-1852, Southwest University), Xujia Bai (Southwest University), Yuhong Zhou (0000-0002-7565-7854, Psychological Research and Consultation Center, Southwest Jiaotong University), Xintong Jiang (0000-0003-2082-6048, Northeast Normal University) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 41 |
| Issue | 6 |
| Pages | 864-876 |
| Publication date | 2026-06-03 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Psychology & Health (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0887-0446 • E-ISSN: 1476-8321 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/08870446.2025.2491588 |
| PMID | 40219800 |
| OpenAlex | W4409380496 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 44 |
Fear of missing out (FoMO) is strongly associated with problematic social media use (PSMU) in young adults; however, little is known about the different roles of trait-FoMO and state-FoMO in PSMU. This longitudinal study used 9-consecutive-day ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to investigate the momentary association between state-FoMO and PSMU and to determine whether such association is moderated by trait-FoMO. We used EMA to measure three daily social media use variables (i.e. craving, time spent on social media, and daily social media self-control failure) to determine daily PSMU. 129 female undergraduates (Mage = 20.48, SD = 1.47) completed a total of 4290 EMA surveys. All main variables were significantly and positively correlated with each other at baseline. Multilevel models revealed that the association of momentary state-FoMO with PSMU was significantly positive. Furthermore, trait-FoMO only moderated the positive association between daily state-FoMO and craving. Specifically, trait-FoMO enhanced the influence of daily state-FoMO on craving, and individuals with lower state-FoMO were more susceptible to the effects of trait-FoMO than individuals with higher state-FoMO. Different implications of trait-FoMO and state-FoMO are discussed particularly regarding their potential to increase the risk of young adult PSMU
Developmental psychology · Social media · Trait · World Wide Web · Child Development and Digital Technology · Computer Science · Impact of Technology on Adolescents · Psychology · Social Media and Politics · Social Psychology
Longitudinal Analysis
Exploring the role of positive metacognitions in explaining the association between the fear of missing out and social media addiction
The Role of Theory in Uses and Gratifications Studies
Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) and social media’s impact on daily-life and productivity at work
Problematic social media use and social support received in real-life versus on social media
Problematic Social Media Use in Adolescents and Young Adults
Prevalence of social media addiction across 32 nations
Understanding and estimating the power to detect cross-level interaction effects in multilevel modeling.
Fear of missing out (Fomo)
Ecological Momentary Assessment
The Interaction of Person-Affect-Cognition-Execution (I-Pace) model for addictive behaviors
A network analysis approach to the relationship between fear of missing out (FoMO), smartphone addiction, and social networking site use among a sample of Chinese university students
Problematic social networking sites use and attachment
Predicting social media use intensity in late adolescence
A network analysis approach to core symptoms and symptom relationships of problematic social media use among young adults
Motivational, emotional, and behavioral correlates of fear of missing out
Do men become addicted to internet gaming and women to social media? A meta-analysis examining gender-related differences in specific internet addiction
Effects of Stressors of Covid-19 on Chinese College Students' Problematic Social Media Use
Uses and Gratifications of Problematic Social Media Use Among University Students
Effects of exposure to self-harm on social media
Social media use and friendship closeness in adolescents’ daily lives
| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 2 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2026 (2) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |