The Bidirectional Relationship Between Internalizing Problems and Problematic Social Media Use Among Adolescents and Young Adults: Longitudinal Mediation of Different Executive Function Subcomponents

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Excessive social media use among adolescents and young adults is increasingly common and negatively affects their physical and mental development. Therefore, identifying the factors associated with problematic social media use (PSMU) is crucial. Although many studies have shown that internalizing problems are closely related to PSMU, the direction of this relationship and the mediating mechanism remain unclear. Thus, this study aimed to explore the relationship between internalizing problems and PSMU among adolescents and young adults, and the role of executive function subcomponents. METHODS: = 0.83; 56.89% girls), assessing internalizing problems, executive function subcomponents, and PSMU at three time points with 6-month intervals. Cross-lagged panel models were used to assess longitudinal associations and mediating effects. RESULTS: The results showed that anxiety and PSMU exhibited a bidirectional relationship in the early stages, while depression and PSMU positively predicted each other in later stages. Mediation analyses revealed that inhibitory control at T2 mediated the relationship between internalizing problems (anxiety and depression) at T1 and PSMU at T3; cognitive flexibility at T2 mediated the relationship between anxiety at T1 and PSMU at T3, whereas the mediation effect of working memory was not significant. CONCLUSION: This study identified complex predictive patterns between internalizing problems and PSMU among adolescents and young adults, and revealed the unique roles of executive function subcomponents. These findings can guide mental health practitioners in developing intervention strategies to mitigate PSMU among adolescents and young adults, thereby promoting their overall mental health.