The Association of Self-Control and Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) with Loneliness: The Mediating Role of Internet Addiction

Generation Z has been identified as the generation most susceptible to loneliness compared to previous cohorts. Previous studies indicate that high loneliness levels among Generation Z (born 1995–2012) are linked to internet addiction. This study investigates the role of internet addiction as mediator of self-control and Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) to the loneliness, among university students. Data collected using the Self-Control Scale, ON-FoMO Scale, UCLA Loneliness Scale (Version 3) and Internet Addiction Test (IAT). All instruments demonstrated acceptable validity ranged from 0.499 to 0.875 and high reliability scores of 0.938, 0.903, 0.868, and 0.922, respectively. Samples selected through purposive sampling from 401 Generation Z of University students. Data were analyzed using SmartPLS 4.0. The results showed that self-control and FoMO significantly affected loneliness through internet addiction (p < 0.05). Model fit indices indicated good predictive relevance (Q² = 0.457), moderate goodness-of-fit (GoF = 0.34), and moderate explanatory power (R² = 0.266). These findings confirm that internet addiction significantly mediates the correlation between self-control, FoMO, and loneliness among Generation Z university students.