Investigating the links between fear of missing out, social media addiction, and emotional symptoms in adolescence: The role of stress associated with neglect and negative reactions on social media

•Fear of missing out (FoMO) is associated with a decrease in emotional well-being in adolescents.•We explore the mediating role of stress related neglect and negative reactions by social media peers.•Adolescents high in FoMO experience heightened stress associated with neglect by online peers.•Stress related to peer neglect (SS-N) is found to predict social media addiction (SMA).•FoMO shows an indirect effect on emotional distress via both SMA and SS-N. Fear of missing out (FoMO) is known to be associated with a decrease in emotional well-being in adolescents. However, few studies have investigated the possible mediating factors between FoMO and emotional symptoms. In this study, we studied the relationship between FoMO and emotional symptoms in a sample of 472 Italian adolescents aged 11–19. In particular, the study investigated the possible mediating role of perceived stress associated with experiences of neglect and negative reactions by other social media users, and social media addiction. Self-report measures were used. Results show that FoMO directly and indirectly predicts emotional symptoms. Additionally, FoMO is associated with increased sensitivity to stress associated with experiences of neglect and negative reactions by online peers, and social media addiction. Sensitivity to stress associated with neglect (but not to negative reactions) by online peers is found to mediate the relationship between FoMO and social media addiction, which, in turn, mediates the relationship with emotional symptoms. In general, the study shows that FoMO is a factor in experiencing higher sensitivity to stress associated with neglect by online peers, which in turn my act as a trigger for social media addiction, and ultimately showing a negative impact on emotional well-being of adolescents. Limits and future directions for research are discussed.