The mediating role of problematic social media use in the association between fear of missing out and general health dimensions among adolescent girls

The present cross-sectional study examined the relationship between problematic social media use (PSMU), fear of missing out (FoMO), and health outcomes among 379 Iranian female adolescents (mean age of 13.81 years). Validated measures assessed FoMO, PSMU, and general health dimensions (somatic symptoms, anxiety/insomnia, social dysfunction, depression). FoMO correlated positively with PSMU (r = 0.237, p < 0.001), anxiety/insomnia (r = 0.417, p < 0.001), and depression (r = 0.436, p < 0.001). PSMU (i) accounted for 70.8% of the indirect association between FoMO and social dysfunction, and (ii) showed partial indirect associations with anxiety/insomnia (24.5%), depression (22.3%), and somatic symptoms (34.2%). Direct PSMU effects were strongest for social dysfunction (β = −0.438) and anxiety/insomnia (β = 0.370). PSMU showed significant indirect associations with FoMO-related health consequences. The findings suggest that PSMU may serve as a key statistical pathway linking fear of missing out to poorer mental health outcomes among adolescent girls, although the cross-sectional design precludes any causal or temporal inferences.