Behind the screens: what underlies the experience of social media as a stressor among adolescents

Abstract

This study explores which aspects of social media use are associated with experiencing it as a stressor among Norwegian adolescents. Data include 3568 participants (aged 16−18), with a longitudinal subsample (n = 432). The outcome was a single item assessing whether social media is perceived as a stressor; 35% reported this at least sometimes. Fourteen predictors were selected from a broader questionnaire based on prior research and qualitative interviews, and grouped into two composites: ‘Fear of missing out (FOMO) and affected by use’ and ‘Interference and problematic use’. Together they explained 38% of the variance in stress. In longitudinal models, a one-unit increase in the composites corresponded to 0.52 and 0.30 standard deviation increases in stress, respectively. Girls reported higher stress and greater endorsement of the underlying factors than boys, but associations were consistent across gender. Findings identify potential targets for intervention to reduce social media-related stress in adolescents.