The Longitudinal Association Between Internet Addiction and Prosocial Behavior Among Chinese Adolescents: Testing a Moderated Mediation Model

Internet addiction has been associated with decreased prosocial behavior in adolescents, and minority studies have investigated the underlying mechanisms involved. This study aimed to examine the mediating effects of self-control and the moderating effects of peer rejection. A longitudinal study with two waves (6 months apart) was used to measure internet addiction (T1), peer rejection (T1), self-control (T1/T2), and prosocial behavior (T1/T2) among 1048 secondary school students (<i>M</i>_age = 14.80 years old, <i>SD</i> = 1.61) in a southern Chinese metropolitan area. A longitudinal path analysis model was applied to analyze the data and derive insights about the relationships between these variables. The findings indicated that T1 internet addiction negatively influenced later prosocial behavior through reduced self-control, particularly among adolescents with lower levels of peer rejection. These findings clarify how internet addiction impairs prosocial development, and we propose a framework for intervention: mitigating peer rejection and harnessing self-control as a mediator to counteract the adverse effects of internet addiction.