The road to addiction (might be) paved with good intentions: Motives for social media use and psychological distress among early adolescents

Maftei, Alexandra; Diaconu-Gherasim, Loredana R.

doi:10.1080/17482798.2023.2255304

Cited by 15Impact of Technology on AdolescentsChild Development and Digital TechnologySexuality, Behavior, and Technology

The road to addiction (might be) paved with good intentions: Motives for social media use and psychological distress among early adolescents

Maftei, Alexandra, Diaconu-Gherasim, Loredana R.·2023·Journal of Children and Media

DOI 10.1080/17482798.2023.2255304

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Abstract

Relying on an extended functionalist perspective, in the present study we investigated how motives underlying social media use (i.e., conformity, social/the need for social relationships), coping (the need for mood regulation), and defensive motives (anti-mattering, i.e., the feeling of not mattering to others) are linked to early adolescents’ psychological distress. We also evaluated the potential mediating role of social media addiction in the relationship between social media use motives and psychological distress in vulnerable social media users, i.e., early adolescents. Our sample consisted of 480 middle-school Romanian students (M = 12.03, SD = .78, 52.3% females). The results suggested that social relationships, mood regulation, and anti-mattering motives were positively associated with social media addiction, and that social media addiction was positively related to psychological distress. Anti-mattering and mood regulation were positively associated with psychological distress. Furthermore, social media addiction mediated the relations between the motives for social media use and psychological distress. Finally, we discuss the theoretical and practical implications of the findings for knowledge, prevention, and interventions regarding social media addiction among early adolescents.

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Younger adolescents aged approximately 10-15 years remain comparatively underrepresented in the literature despite occupying a potentially important developmental period marked by increasing social media engagement and evolving identity formation.
“In contrast, younger adolescents aged approximately 10-15 years remain comparatively underrepresented in the literature despite occupying a potentially important developmental period marked by increasing social media engagement and evolving identity formation [34, 35].”
From The Complex and Multifaceted Nature of Social Media: Perspectives From Young Adolescents, Parents and Experts (2026) · cites this paper as [34]

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Motives of social media use are differentially associated with mental health outcomes in adolescentsPreprint
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Authors: Maftei, A., & Diaconu-Gherasim, L. R.
Affiliations: Alexandru Ioan Cuza University (RO)
Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, lasi, Romania
Corresponding author: Maftei, Alexandra
ORCID: Maftei, Alexandra
Diaconu-Gherasim, Loredana R.
Venue: Journal of Children and Media
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Published: 2023-09-14
Volume: 17
Issue: 4
Pages: 538-558
ISSN: 1748-2798 (ISSN-L)
1748-2801
DOI: 10.1080/17482798.2023.2255304
OpenAlex: W4386742169
Cited by: 15
References: 88
Citations by year: 2026: 3 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 4
FWCI: 6.47
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: closed
Locations: Journal of Children and Media (publishedVersion)
Funders: Romanian Ministry of Education and Research (CNCS - UEFISCDI, PN-III-P4-ID-PCE-2020-2963)
Topics: Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Impact of Technology on Adolescents
Social Sciences › Education › Child Development and Digital Technology
Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Sexuality, Behavior, and Technology
Keywords: motivations for social media use, social media addiction, psychological distress, early adolescents, mood regulation, interpersonal relationships, coping motives, conformity motives, mediation, junior high school students

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The road to addiction (might be) paved with good intentions: Motives for social media use and psychological distress among early adolescents

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