Social Media Addiction and Mental Health: The Mediating Role of Mindfulness

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Friday 11:45 am - Gold 2
  In Roundtable Session: Identities Intersecting and Crossing Boundaries in Digital Spaces

Abstract

This study investigates whether mindfulness mediates the association between problematic social media use (PSMU) and internalizing symptoms (depression, anxiety, stress) in adolescents (N = 864, ages 10–14). Using structural equation modeling, we identified mindfulness as a robust psychological mechanism explaining the impact of PSMU on mental health. Results show that higher PSMU predicts lower mindfulness, which in turn predicts increased symptoms across all domains. Indirect effects were significant, supporting mindfulness as a mediator. The findings extend theoretical models of digital vulnerability and provide implications for school-based prevention and mental health promotion, particularly amidst ongoing debates about smartphone bans. Mindfulness appears to be a key individual difference variable shaping adolescents’ psychological response to digital environments.

Authors

• Felix Kruse, St. Gallen University of Teacher Education

• Arvid Nagel, PH-Institute NMS Bern