The role of metacognitions and emotion recognition in problematic SNS use among adolescents

•First study to investigate the role of metacognitions in the problematic social networking sites use in adolescents.•Metacognitions were found to predict problematic social networking sites use controlling for emotion recognition and levels of use.•Targeting metacognitions may be of use in the treatment of problematic social networking sites use. Problematic social networking sites (SNS) use is associated with important psychological problems among adolescents. Nevertheless, research on the aetiology of problematic SNS use is limited. Our aim was to investigate the role of metacognitions and emotion recognition in predicting problematic SNS use during the late adolescence period. Eight hundred and sixty-one high school students were recruited for the study. Participants completed the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS), the Metacognitions Questionnaire for Children (MCQ-C), and the Children's Version of Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET). A stepwise multiple linear regression analysis showed that all subdimensions of metacognitions (positive meta-worry, negative meta-worry, superstition, punishment, and responsibility beliefs, and cognitive monitoring), but not emotion recognition, independently predicted the BSMAS total score controlling for daily SNS use. Our findings indicate that maladaptive metacognitions are associated, independently frequency of daily SNS use, to problematic SNS use among late adolescents. Interventions targeting dysfunctional metacognitions may aid adolescents who suffer from the detrimental effects of problematic SNS use.