Problematic social media use and mental health: The mediating role of mindfulness

• In Event: Poster Session 7
  In Poster Session: Problematic social media use and mental health: The mediating role of mindfulness

Proposal

Social media is deeply embedded in adolescents’ lives, offering opportunities for connection and identity formation but raising concerns regarding mental health. Problematic social media use (PSMU) - conceptualized as behavioral addiction (Andreassen et al., 2012) - is linked to depressive symptoms, anxiety, and stress (Keles et al., 2020). Research increasingly calls for examining mechanisms underlying these associations rather than focusing solely on usage metrics (Orben et al., 2019; Valkenburg et al., 2022). Mindfulness - a present-focused, nonjudgmental awareness (Kabat-Zinn, 2003) - represents one such mechanism. It supports emotion regulation and attentional control (Brown et al., 2007; Hölzel et al., 2011), potentially mitigating the attentional fragmentation and social comparison fostered by social media (Montag & Hegelich, 2020). Adolescents, with still-developing regulatory capacities (Steinberg, 2008), may be especially vulnerable. Preliminary adult research suggests that mindfulness mediates the PSMU–depression link (Jones et al., 2022), but adolescent evidence is lacking. Considering the effectiveness of school-based mindfulness interventions (Dunning et al., 2019; Zoogman et al., 2015), its role warrants investigation.
Method
Participants were 864 adolescents (49% female) aged 10–14 years (M = 11.42, SD = 0.74) from the German-speaking region of Switzerland. Measures included: (a) PSMU via the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS; α = .80); (b) trait mindfulness via the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure (CAMM; α = .92); and (c) depression, anxiety, and stress via the DASS-Y (α = .92–.94). Structural equation modeling (SEM) using the lavaan package with robust maximum likelihood estimation (MLR) was employed to test a mediation model, specifying PSMU as the exogenous predictor, mindfulness as the mediator, and depression, anxiety, and stress as endogenous outcomes. Model fit was assessed via CFI, TLI, RMSEA (90% CI), and SRMR.
Results
The model fit the data well (CFI = .921, RMSEA = .052, SRMR = .057). PSMU predicted lower mindfulness (β = −.50, p < .001), which in turn predicted lower depression (β = −.54), anxiety (β = −.60), and stress (β = −.63; all p < .001). Direct effects of PSMU remained for anxiety (β = .18, p < .001) and stress (β = .14, p = .002), but not for depression. Indirect effects via mindfulness were significant for all outcomes (β = .27–.32, p < .001). The model explained 33% of depression, 50% of anxiety, and 51% of stress variance.
Discussion
Findings demonstrate that mindfulness mediates the relationship between PSMU and adolescent mental health. PSMU appears to undermine present-moment awareness, impairing emotional regulation and heightening vulnerability to internalizing symptoms. This supports integrating digital media research with self-regulation frameworks and highlights mindfulness as a mechanism, not merely a protective trait.
Practically, fostering mindfulness in school settings could strengthen adolescents’ capacity to manage digital environments, complementing rather than replacing restrictions. Although the cross-sectional design limits causal inference, these results provide a foundation for longitudinal and intervention research exploring mindfulness as a buffer against the psychological risks of problematic social media use.

Authors

• Felix Kruse, St. Gallen University of Teacher Education

• Arvid Nagel

• Amina Kadic