Abstract
Problematic social media use (PSMU, also referred to as social media addiction by some researchers) is considered a potential, behavioral addiction or non-substance addiction similar to Internet Gaming Disorder and requires further study. The purpose of this study was to examine whether problematic social media users have a core characteristic of reduced response inhibition similar to other addictive behaviors, both without and with social media-related stimuli. PSMU (n = 37) and healthy controls (HC, n = 41) participants completed an adapted version of the Problematic Social Media Use Scale (PSMUS), Internet Game Addiction Scale (IGAS), the Go/No Go task, and an adapted version of the Go/No Go task with social media elements. The results showed that in the Go/No Go task, there was no significant difference in the performance of the PSMU group and the HC group in terms of correct accuracy (p > 0.05). However, in the Modified Go/No Go task, the PSMU group performed worse and had a lower correct accuracy with the No-Go stimulus compared to the HC group. In addition, the No-Go correct accuracy in the Modified Go/No Go task was significantly lower for the PSMU group than the No-Go correct accuracy in the Go/No Go task. Finally, there was a negative correlation between PSMUS scores in the PSMU group and performance in the Modified Go/No Go task. Problematic social media users have response inhibition impairments similar to behavioral addictions, especially with social media-related cues. This adds to the existing evidence on the negative consequences of problematic social media use and its mental health risks.
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The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
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The research was funded through Guizhou Provincial Education Planning Project (No. 2020B181) and Science and Technology Fund Project of Guizhou Provincial Health and Health Commission (No. Gzwkj2023-477).
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Gou, S., Yuan, R., Zhang, W. et al. Problematic social media use in youths cause response inhibition impairment. Curr Psychol 43, 13555–13564 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-023-05425-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-023-05425-z