The use of social media is becoming a necessary daily activity in today’s society. Excessive and compulsive use of social media may lead to social media addiction (SMA). The main aim of this study was to investigate whether demographic factors (including age and gender), impulsivity, self-esteem, emotions, and attentional bias were risk factors associated with SMA. The study was conducted in a non-clinical sample of college students (N = 520), ranging in age from 16 to 23 years, including 277 females (53%) and 243 males (47%). All participants completed a survey measuring impulsivity, self-esteem, anxiety, depression, social anxiety, loneliness, and attentional bias. The final hierarchical regression model indicated significant risk factors for SMA with an accuracy of 38%. The identified set of associated risk factors included female gender (β = −0.21, t = −4.88, p < 0.001), impulsivity (β = 0.34, t = 8.50, p < 0.001), self-esteem (β = −0.20, t = −4.38, p < 0.001), anxiety (β = 0.24, t = 4.43, p < 0.001), social anxiety (β = 0.25, t = 5.79, p < 0.001), and negative attentional biases (β = 0.31, t = 8.01, p < 0.001). Finally, a discussion of the results is presented, followed by corresponding recommendations for future studies.

Objective: Social media (SM) have flourished and are affecting human lives on an unprecedented scale. Problematic social media use (PSMU) is a recently emerging problematic behavior that affects both physical and mental health. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether problematic users of SM display attentional bias (AB) toward SM-related cues, as well as the relationships between AB, the severity of PSMU, and negative emotions. Method: 1000 college students were recruited through classes and online forums and then tested using the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS). Eventually, 60 participants, identified by the cut-off point for BSMAS, consented to participate in the study and were divided into two groups (i.e., a problematic use group and a typical use group). The severity of PSMU and negative emotions (i.e., anxiety, depression, social fear, and loneliness) were evaluated by self-report questionnaires. AB was assessed by an addiction Stroop task and a dot-probe task (DPT). Results: PSMU was found to be positively associated with anxiety (r = 0.28, p < 0.05), depression (r = 0.35, p < 0.01), and social fear (r = 0.38, p < 0.01), but not with loneliness (r = 0.19, p = 0.15). Participants with a tendency toward PSMU displayed AB toward SM-related cues in the DPT [F (1, 58) = 26.77, p < 0.001, ηp2 = 0.32], but not in the Stroop task [F (1, 58) = 0.61, p = 0.44, ηp2 = 0.01]. Moreover, AB toward SM-related stimuli was found to be positively correlated with the severity of PSMU (r = −0.51, p < 0.001), anxiety (r = −0.37, p < 0.01), depression (r = −0.51, p < 0.001), and social fear (r = −0.30, p < 0.05) in the DPT. Conclusions: Problematic users of SM show AB towards SM-related cues in the DPT, which is more reliable for assessing AB than the Stroop task. Moreover, it is suggested that in clinical interventions we should work to change the AB towards SM-related stimuli and improve negative emotions to decrease risks of PSMU.

The current study aimed to analyze whether individuals with problematic social media use (PSMU) demonstrate attentional bias (AB) toward negative emotional information and determine the relationships among the severity of PSMU, social anxiety, and negative AB. Sixty participants were divided into problematic and normal use groups according to their scores on the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS). The BSMAS and Interaction Anxiety Scale were adopted to measure the severity of PSMU and social anxiety, respectively. An emotional Stroop task and a visual dot-probe task (DPT) were used to assess AB toward negative emotional expressions. Relationships among the severity of PSMU, social anxiety, and negative AB were investigated using Pearson's correlation coefficient. Results showed that individuals with PSMU demonstrated AB toward negative emotional information in the emotional DPT but not in the emotional Stroop task. AB toward negative emotional information was positively correlated with the severity of PSMU and social anxiety in the emotional DPT. Findings support the key role of negative AB and social anxiety in individuals with PSMU, suggesting that more attention be paid to negative AB and social anxiety for the prevention and treatment of PSMU. [ Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, xx (x), xx–xx.]