A Double-Edged Impact of Social Smartphone Use on Smartphone Addiction: A Parallel Mediation Model.

Kuo Chang,Hui Zhang,Xue Li,Lei Zhang

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.808192

Abstract

Evidence supports predictive roles of non-social smartphone use for smartphone addiction, but the relationship of social smartphone use and smartphone addiction is unclear. This study explored whether social smartphone use has a double-edged impact on smartphone addiction. Using data from a sample of 909 Chinese undergraduates, we tested a parallel mediation model that considered online social support and realistic social support as mediators. As predicted, social smartphone use weakened smartphone addiction through realistic social support and contributed to smartphone addiction through online social support. Moreover, we tested the moderating role of agreeableness in the mediation path of online social support. Agreeableness only moderated the indirect effects. Specifically, the predictive effects of online social support on smartphone addiction was greater for lower rather than higher agreeableness. The results suggest that social needs play an important role in the formation of smartphone addiction. Several limitations and implications are also discussed herein.

Highlights

Smartphones are used excessively worldwide to increase productivity and sociability and as ways to access various forms of entertainment
Social use of smartphones was positively correlated with realistic social support, online social support, and smartphone addiction
Realistic social support was positively correlated with online social support and agreeableness

Summary

Introduction

Smartphones are used excessively worldwide to increase productivity and sociability and as ways to access various forms of entertainment (e.g., watching videos and playing games). Without smartphones, the world as we know it would cease to exist. As indicated by a recent report, there are over 780 million smartphone users in China, and this number is increasing rapidly (CNNIC, 2018). With this increase in smartphone use, more research has been dedicated to the adverse outcomes of smartphone use. Given that smartphone use does not inevitably lead to detrimental outcomes and smartphone addiction, researchers have sought to clarify why some users become addicted to smartphones while others do not

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