# Psychological Needs and Problematic Social Media Use in Adolescents: A Gender-Moderated Mediation via Sensation Seeking and Cognitive Flexibility

## TL;DR

This study explores how unmet psychological needs relate to problematic social media use in adolescents, with differences between genders.

## Contribution

The study reveals gender-specific mediation effects of cognitive flexibility and sensation seeking on social media use.

## Key findings

- Basic psychological needs significantly correlate with problematic social media use (r = 0.43, p < 0.001).
- Cognitive flexibility and sensation seeking partially mediate the relationship in girls but fully mediate it in boys.
- Gender moderates the indirect effects of psychological needs on social media use.

## Abstract

Background: The purpose of this study is to examine the mediating roles of cognitive flexibility and sensation seeking in the relationship between basic psychological needs and problematic social media use. Furthermore, the moderating effect of gender on indirect effects has been examined. Method: The sample of the study consisted of 838 Turkish adolescents aged between 14 and 18 (46.2% female; Mean = 15.6, SD = 1.71). Participants completed the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale, the Basic Psychological Needs Scale, the Cognitive Flexibility Scale, and the Brief Sensation Seeking Scale. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) with the AMOS 26.0 program. Results: A significant relationship was found between basic psychological needs and problematic social media use (r = 0.43, p < 0.001). Both cognitive flexibility and sensation seeking partially mediated this relationship in girls (β = −0.23, p < 0.001), while fully mediating it in boys (β = 0.03, p = 0.675). Conclusions: The findings suggest that problematic social media use in adolescents may be associated with cognitive flexibility and increased sensation-seeking tendencies stemming from unmet psychological needs, and that gender plays an important role in this relationship.