The Mediating Role of Digital Self-Control in the Relationship Between Fear of Missing Out, Passive Social Media Use, and Sleep Disturbance Among Adolescents
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61838/kman.jayps.6306Keywords:
Adolescents, Digital Self-Control, Fear of Missing Out, Passive Social Media Use, Sleep Disturbance, Social MediaAbstract
Objective: This study aimed to examine the mediating role of digital self-control in the relationships of fear of missing out and passive social media use with sleep disturbance among adolescents in Canada.
Methods and Materials: This quantitative cross-sectional correlational study was conducted among 612 adolescents aged 13–18 years enrolled in secondary schools in Canada during the 2025–2026 academic year. Participants were recruited through a multistage sampling procedure. Data were collected using standardized self-report measures of fear of missing out, passive social media use, digital self-control, and sleep disturbance. Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha and McDonald’s omega. Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated to examine bivariate associations among the main variables. Regression-based mediation analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics and the PROCESS macro, with fear of missing out and passive social media use entered as predictors, digital self-control as the mediator, and sleep disturbance as the outcome. Indirect effects were evaluated using 5,000 bootstrap resamples and 95% confidence intervals.
Findings: Fear of missing out significantly predicted lower digital self-control (β = -.35, p < .001) and greater sleep disturbance (β = .25, p < .001). Passive social media use also significantly predicted lower digital self-control (β = -.27, p < .001) and greater sleep disturbance (β = .18, p < .001). Digital self-control significantly and inversely predicted sleep disturbance (β = -.38, p < .001). The model explained 29.7% of the variance in digital self-control and 43.8% of the variance in sleep disturbance. Bootstrapping confirmed significant indirect effects of fear of missing out on sleep disturbance through digital self-control (effect = 0.119, 95% CI [0.085, 0.159]) and of passive social media use on sleep disturbance through digital self-control (effect = 0.842, 95% CI [0.567, 1.154]), indicating partial mediation.
Conclusion: Digital self-control is an important behavioral mechanism linking fear of missing out and passive social media use with sleep disturbance among adolescents, suggesting that strengthening digital self-regulation may help reduce sleep-related difficulties associated with social media engagement.
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References
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