Problematic social media use among French psychology university students: Prevalence, correlates, and mediation–moderation analyses

Background Problematic social media use is rising among university students, harming mental health, academic performance, and self-regulation; psychology students are especially relevant due to addiction training yet high social media exposure. Objectives This study aimed to (1) estimate the prevalence of PSMU among French psychology students, (2) identify its sociodemographic, behavioral, social, psychological, mental health, and academic correlates and predictors, and (3) examine mediation and moderation mechanisms linking social media use frequency (SMUF) to PSMU. Methods A cross-sectional online survey was conducted with 973 university students. PSMU was measured using the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS). Data analyses included correlational analyses, multivariate linear regression, and mediation and moderation models. Results The mean PSMU score (M = 2.22, SD = 0.76) was below the scale midpoint. Overall, 28.9% of participants scored above the scale midpoint (>2.5). Using progressively more stringent criteria, the estimated prevalence was 15.0% based on the descriptive threshold (“descriptive prevalence”), 5.6% based on the high-risk threshold (“risk prevalence”), and 3.8% based on meaningful functional impairment (“clinical prevalence”). Strong predictors of PSMU included social media-related problems, perceived need to control use, SMUF, impulsivity (negative urgency), and depressive mood. Women and sexual minority students reported higher PSMU than men and heterosexual, respectively; although some of the effect-sizes for differences across sexual orientation categories were relatively small. Social resources (e.g., relationship satisfaction, perceived support) were negatively associated with PSMU but did not moderate the SMUF–PSMU relationship. Sleep difficulties, depressive mood, and self-esteem partially mediated the association between SMUF and PSMU. Conclusions The study suggests that the PSMU among psychology students might be mainly driven by emotional vulnerability and self-regulation deficits rather than usage frequency alone. Interventions should prioritize emotional regulation, sleep quality, and mental health over simply reducing screen time.