Self-Regulation Costs of Social Media among Polish and Cambodian Students

Anna Kozielec, Kama Daniek and Skaishann Kon

European Research Studies Journal, 2025, vol. XXVIII, issue 4, 665-679

Abstract: Purpose: To compare two complementary mechanisms underlying self-regulation costs of social media use among students: (i) micro-structure (habitual, “purpose-free” checking) and (ii) exposure volume (total daily time). Design/Methodology/Approach: Cross-sectional analysis of two independent student samples (Poland: N = 169; Cambodia: N = 48). The outcome is the Attention/Self-Regulation Cost Index (ACI), a formative composite of three components—disruption of activities, task postponement, and cognitive fatigue. Measurement invariance across language versions is probed (configural → metric; partial scalar where required). Robust estimation is used (OLS with HC3 errors, rank and quantile regressions), non-linearities are tested with natural splines for time, and sensitivity checks address recoding rules and a PCA-based alternative to the composite. Findings: In the Polish sample, habituality shows a medium, stable association with higher ACI, while the association with daily time is weaker and less precise. In the Cambodian sample, total daily time plays a comparatively larger role, consistent with a volume-load pathway. Results are robust to alternative ACI representations (z-score mean vs. PC1), estimation choices, and sensitivity analyses. Exploratory spline models suggest threshold effects for exposure time; the automaticity × time interaction indicates that longer exposure is more detrimental when habituality is high. Practical Implications: Interventions targeting micro-structure—reducing habit triggers, batching and default-muting notifications, and introducing “entry friction” (brief pause/goal prompt)—may deliver equal or greater benefits than blanket hour-reduction. Institutions can support quiet defaults and digital-hygiene practices; platforms can provide transparent time/entry metrics and low-stimulation defaults. Originality/Value: The study offers a clear, decision-useful comparison of “how we use” versus “how long we use” within an economics-of-attention frame, introduces a concise formative index (ACI), and provides directional replication across two cultural contexts (Poland, Cambodia).

Keywords: Self-regulation costs; attention economics; social media use; habitual use/automaticity; exposure time; media multitasking; students (Poland; Cambodia); formative index (ACI); measurement invariance. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D03 D83 M15 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ers:journl:v:xxviii:y:2025:i:4:p:665-679

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