Family Function and Problematic Social Media Use Among Adolescents in Vocational Schools: A Moderated Mediation Model

With the outburst of social medias in current life, problematic use is prevalent in adolescents and has become a contemporary concern. Although family environment has been identified as a risk factor, little is known how family environment is associated with problematic social media use (PSMU). Drawing on Snyder's hope theory and Davis's cognitive-behavioral model, this study examines how family function is linked with PSMU <i>via</i> hope. The study also investigates the moderating effect of perceived social support (PSS) by analyzing how PSS, interacts with family function, affects hope and further influences PSMU. The moderated mediation analyses of data from 1373 adolescents from vocational schools (343 boys and 1030 girls, M_age = 15.56) reveal family function is negatively associated with adolescents' PSMU, and the association is partially mediated by hope. Furthermore, PSS buffers the negative relation between family function and hope.