Psycho-physical well-being in adolescent users of social networking sites: Empirical evidence for text neck syndrome and related measures

Abstract

The current empirical study investigates the associations between the text neck syndrome adopted when using a smartphone and the emotions experienced while navigating social networking sites (SNS). These platforms are known to promote social comparison and emphasize self-esteem criticism among adolescents. A total of 113 adolescents (Mage = 15.7, sd = 1.50, 72.6% female) participated in a 3-step experimental procedure: 1) self-report assessment of SNS addiction, smartphone addiction, self-esteem, social comparison, and emotions; 2) random assignment to three experimental groups (i.e., passive use, active use, and control group) and simultaneous observation of the neck angle; 3) self-report assessment of emotions, neck disability, and social comparison. Network analysis and three-way moderation models were used to test our hypotheses. Our findings revealed i) widespread worrying neck posture, ii) an increase in social comparison levels after SNS use, and iii) the direct effect of SNS addiction on neck pain-related disability as well as the moderating effect of social comparison and self-esteem, especially in the passive user group. In conclusion, our multidisciplinary approach seems to be a fruitful way to understand behavioral addictions and increase the current knowledge on the topic. Our results support an empirical approach to carefully consider the fruition of SNS in daily life.