Digital Mindfulness and Digital Well-Being Among University Students: The Mediating Role of Fear of Missing Out

Background. Digital mindfulness and fear of missing out (FoMO) may help explain how university students experience their digital lives. This study examined whether FoMO statistically accounted for the association between digital mindfulness and perceived digital well-being (PDW). Methods. A cross-sectional online survey included 477 undergraduate students from three universities in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Structural equation modeling examined direct and indirect associations with a latent PDW factor indicated by emotional, social, and cognitive domain scores. Results. Greater digital mindfulness was associated with lower FoMO, which was associated with more favorable PDW. The positive indirect association through FoMO was substantial (β = 0.371, 95% bias-corrected bootstrap CI [0.310, 0.437]) and remained significant after correction for measurement error. The direct association was small and was not robust to this correction. The model accounted for 52.7% of the variance in latent PDW. Conclusions. Lower FoMO was the main statistical pathway linking mindful digital engagement with better PDW. These findings suggest that student-support initiatives could examine awareness of checking urges and more intentional digital engagement as potential intervention targets. Longitudinal and experimental studies are needed to establish temporal ordering and evaluate whether such approaches improve digital well-being.