Self-Efficacy, Fear of Missing out, Social Media Use, and Bedtime Procrastination in Chinese College Students
Abstract
Bedtime procrastination is prevalent, particularly among adolescents. This study employed self-regulation theory and social cognitive theory as its theoretical framework and used structural equation modeling to explore relationships among self-efficacy, fear of missing out (FoMO), social media use, and bedtime procrastination. 468 Chinese college students (54% male, 46% female) completed self-report questionnaires online. The results showed a significant negative correlation between self-efficacy and bedtime procrastination. This association was partially explained by increased FoMO and social media use. Fear of missing out was only related to bedtime procrastination among females. Our study highlights that FoMO and social media use may be important for understanding and mitigating bedtime procrastination, specifically in those with lower self-efficacy.
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FOMO is one of the most well-documented drivers of compulsive social media use.
“The FOMO phenomenon, where individuals experience anxiety over missing out on social experiences or information, is one of the most well-documented drivers of compulsive social media use (Gao et al. 2025;Elhai et al. 2025;Bao & Li 2025).”
From The Scrolling Paradox: Analyzing Instagram Addiction Patterns in The Digital Age (2025) · cites this paper as Bao & Li 2025
Cites
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Katsiroumpa, A., Katsiroumpa, Z., Koukia, E., Μangoulia, P., Gallos, P., Moisoglou, I., & Galanis, P. (2025) · European Journal of Investigation in Health Psychology and Education · doi:10.3390/ejihpe15100209 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
“This finding can be explained in the context of “fear of missing out” phenomenon, where social media and internet users feel that they are missing important information and social updates when they go offline (Bao & Li, 2025; X. Li & Ye, 2022; Wu et al., 2025).”
InfluentialLi, R., & Zhang, M. (2026) · Acta Psychologica · doi:10.1016/j.actpsy.2026.107199 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
The Scrolling Paradox: Analyzing Instagram Addiction Patterns in The Digital Age
Balcıoğlu, Y. S., Bayraktar, Ü., & Güven, E. (2025) · İmgelem · doi:10.53791/imgelem.1685011 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Gulati, S. (2026) · International Journal of Interdisciplinary Approaches in Psychology · doi:10.61113/ijiap.v4i9.1631
“According to Bao and Li (2025) a study was conducted on a sample of 468 Chinese college students (54%male, 46%female) using the frameworks of self-regulation theory, social cognitive theory and structural equation modelling.”
Maharani, W., & Pratama, M. (2026) · PAEDAGOGY Jurnal Ilmu Pendidikan dan Psikologi · doi:10.51878/paedagogy.v6i3.15022
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SAIMSARA (2026) · SAIMSARA Journal · doi:10.62487/saimsaraab2dbdf3
Zhang, J., Harris, A., Bjorvatn, B., Vedaa, Ø., & Pallesen, S. (2025) · Personality and Individual Differences · doi:10.1016/j.paid.2025.113491
Lin, J.-F., Bao, R., & Wu, L. (2026) · International Journal of Mental Health Promotion · doi:10.32604/ijmhp.2026.088043
“Because disconnecting is perceived as socially aversive, the drive to sustain technology use may delay sleep onset [20].”
- Authors
- Bao, H., & Li, S.
- Affiliations
- Yeungnam University (KR)
- Corresponding author
- Li, Shichuan
- ORCID
- Venue
- Psychological Reports
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2025-03-22
- Pages
- 332941251329864-332941251329864
- ISSN
- 0033-2941 (ISSN-L)
- 1558-691X
- OpenAlex
- W4408739994
- Cited by
- 4
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 2
- FWCI
- 4.22
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Psychological Reports (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Sleep and related disorders
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Impact of Technology on Adolescents
- Social Sciences › Education › Youth Substance Use and School Attendance
- Keywords
- bedtime procrastination, self-efficacy, fear of missing out, social media use, university students, self-regulation theory, social cognitive theory, gender differences, Chinese students
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