TikTok use and psychosocial factors among adolescents: Comparisons of non-users, moderate users, and addictive users

Miao Chao; Jing Lei; Ru He; Yunpeng Jiang; Haibo Yang

doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2023.115247

TikTok use and psychosocial factors among adolescents: Comparisons of non-users, moderate users, and addictive users

Psychiatry Res. 2023 Jul:325:115247. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2023.115247. Epub 2023 May 6.

Authors

Miao Chao¹, Jing Lei², Ru He², Yunpeng Jiang³, Haibo Yang¹

Affiliations

¹ Key Research Base of Humanities and Social Sciences of the Ministry of Education, Academy of Psychology and Behavior, Tianjin Normal University, China; Faculty of Psychology, Tianjin Normal University, China; Center of Collaborative Innovation for Assessment and Promotion of Mental Health, China.
² Faculty of Psychology, Tianjin Normal University, China.
³ Key Research Base of Humanities and Social Sciences of the Ministry of Education, Academy of Psychology and Behavior, Tianjin Normal University, China; Faculty of Psychology, Tianjin Normal University, China; Center of Collaborative Innovation for Assessment and Promotion of Mental Health, China. Electronic address: jiangyp@tjnu.edu.cn.

PMID: 37167877
DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2023.115247

Abstract

Short-video applications like TikTok are increasingly popular. This study examines the association between short-video application use (SVU) and psychosocial factors in 1,346 adolescents (M_age = 14.97, 51.8% female). 199 non-users and 1147 users (686 moderate users, 461 addictive users) were identified. Results revealed a high prevalence of addictive SVU in the sample. Addictive users exhibited worse mental health conditions than non-users and moderate users, including higher levels of depression, anxiety, stress, loneliness, social anxiety, attention problems, and lower life satisfaction and sleep quality. Addictive users also faced higher academic stress, poorer academic performance, more bullying victimization, worse parental relationships, more negative parenting styles, and lower parental education levels. Moderate users had different family environments than non-users, but no differences in mental health or school performance. Together, these findings suggest that addictive users experience a more disadvantageous situation across mental health, family, and school conditions, while non-users have advantageous family environments. Moderate SVU may not be associated with negative mental health condition or poor school performance. Moderate and addictive SVU should be considered distinct phenomena. Given the psychiatric symptoms present in addictive users of TikTok and similar apps, targeted interventions and treatments are urgently needed.

Keywords: Addiction; Adolescent; Mental health; School; Short-video application use; Social media.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Anxiety / epidemiology
Anxiety Disorders
Educational Status
Female
Humans
Male
Schools
Social Media*