The relationship between social media addiction and emotional appetite: a cross-sectional study among young adults in Turkey

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The present study focused on the relationship between addiction to social media (SM) and emotional appetite in young adults. DESIGN: Cross-sectional online survey. SETTING: The Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS) and Emotional Appetite Questionnaire (EMAQ) were used, and the duration and frequency of SM tools usage were analysed. PARTICIPANTS: Five hundred and twenty-four participants (144 men and 380 women) aged between 18 and 25 years. RESULTS: The mean of SM usage duration of participants was 3·2 ± 2·2 h per d along with a mean of BSMAS score of 16·1 ± 5·9. Concerning emotional appetite, the mean scores for positive and negative aspects of EMAQ were 4·4 ± 1·9 and 3·1 ± 1·2, respectively. The predominant SM tools were YouTube (92·6 %) and Instagram (90·3 %). Notably, a significant association was observed between SM addiction and the frequency of access to YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter, with addiction levels increasing as access frequency rose (P < 0·01). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated a possible relationship between SM addiction and emotional appetite among young adults. However, further research with more prominent participants and a lengthier follow-up duration is necessary to elucidate how SM tools affect eating behaviour.