Mediating Effects of Social Networking Sites Self-Expression and Fear of Missing Out in the Relationship Between Friendship Contingent Self-Esteem and Social Networking Sites Addiction Tendency of Adolescents

Objective: The study examined the mediating and double mediating effects of fear of missing out and social networking sites (SNS) self-expression (positive self-expression and honest self-expression) on the relationship between adolescents’ friendship contingent self-esteem and SNS addiction tendency. Methods: The participants in this study were a total of 413 students (207 male and 206 female) in the first to third years of middle school. Each variable was self-reported using instruments measuring friendship contingent self-esteem, fear of missing out, SNS self-expression, and SNS addiction tendency. For data analysis, frequency analysis, Frequency, Cronbach’s α reliability, and Pearson correlation analyses were performed using the SPSS Statistics 27.0 program, and the mediating effect and the double mediating effect were confirmed using the PROCESS macro model 6 of the SPSS PROCESS macro 4.2 program. Results: Adolescents’ SNS addiction tendencies were positively correlated with friendship contingent self-esteem, fear of missing out and positive self-expression, and honest self-expression. Second, in the relationship between adolescents’ friendship contingent self-esteem and SNS addiction tendency, mediating and double mediating effects of fear of missing out and positive self-expression were found. Third, in the relationship between friendship contingent self-esteem and SNS addiction tendencies, the mediating effect of honest self-expression and the double mediating effect of fear of missing out and honest self-expression were not significant. Conclusions: This study emphasizes that adolescents with SNS addiction tendencies due to high friendship contingent self-esteem should be encouraged to reduce their fear of missing out and positive self-expression.