Envy and problematic smartphone use: The mediating role of FOMO and the moderating role of student-student relationship

Recent research has identified some risk factors for problematic smartphone use. However, scarce research has examined the potential influence of envy on problematic smartphone use, and little is known regarding the mediating and moderating mechanisms underlying this relationship. This study tested whether envy would be positively related to adolescent problematic smartphone use, whether FOMO would mediate the relationship between envy and problematic smartphone use, and whether student-student relationship would moderate the pathways between envy and problematic smartphone use. This model was tested among 724 Chinese adolescents (mean age = 16.79 years, SD = 0.91). Participants completed measurements regarding envy, problematic smartphone use, FOMO, and student-student relationship. The results indicated that envy was positively related to problematic smartphone use and FOMO mediated this relationship. Moreover, moderated mediation analyses showed that all three pathways between envy and adolescent problematic smartphone use were moderated by student-student relationship. This study highlights the underlying mechanisms between envy and adolescent problematic smartphone use, which has important implications for the preventions and interventions of adolescent problematic smartphone use in this digital era.