The effects of childhood environment on problematic social media use in adulthood: the mediation of metacognitions about social media use

Meng Xuan Zhang, Ruimei Sun, Kwok Kit Tong, Anise M. S. Wu, Anita Yingxin Xiong, Liffy Ka Heng Leong and Juliet Honglei Chen

Behaviour and Information Technology, 2025, vol. 44, issue 16, 3962-3973

Abstract: The prevalence of problematic social media use (PSMU), along with its adverse consequences, continues to rise in various populations. This study tested the effects of childhood environment on PSMU and examined the role of behavior-specific metacognitions and frequency of social media use in mediating that relationship in the general adult population. This study’s probability sample of 501 adult residents (35.7% male) in Macao, China, aged 18–87 years (Mage = 42.10, SD = 17.09), voluntarily completed an anonymous telephone survey. Path analysis results showed that positive and negative metacognitions mediated the effects of childhood socioeconomic status and unpredictability on PSMU. Frequency of use mediated the relationship between negative metacognitions and PSMU. This study was the first to demonstrate that behavior-specific metacognitions, especially the negative one, are associated with childhood environment, elucidating an important psychological mechanism that explains social media use and addiction in adulthood. Altering metacognitions of social media use can be considered in PSMU interventions.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1080/0144929X.2025.2458228

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