Fear of Missing Out and Procrastination as Mediators Between Sensation Seeking and Adolescent Smartphone Addiction

Recent research has identified some risk factors for smartphone addiction. However, scarce research has examined the potential influence of sensation seeking on smartphone addiction, and little is known regarding the mediating mechanisms underlying this relationship. The present study examined the predictive role of sensation seeking on adolescent smartphone addiction and investigated whether fear of missing out (FoMO) and procrastination sequentially mediated the relation between sensation seeking and adolescent smartphone addiction. A sample of 794 adolescents completed questionnaires regarding demographics, sensation seeking, FoMO, procrastination, and smartphone addiction. After controlling for demographic covariates, the results indicated that (a) sensation seeking was positively associated with smartphone addiction; (b) both FoMO and procrastination partially mediated the relation between sensation seeking and adolescent smartphone addiction; and (c) FoMO and procrastination sequentially mediated the relation between sensation seeking and adolescent smartphone addiction. This study highlights the underlying mechanisms between sensation seeking and adolescent smartphone addiction, which has important implications for the preventions and interventions of adolescent problematic smartphone use in this digital era.