The Double-Edged Sword Effect of Social Networking Use Intensity on Problematic Social Networking Use among College Students: the Role of Social Skills and Social Anxiety

Social networking has benefits but can lead to negative consequences including problematic social networking site use (PSNSU), especially among youth. Through the lens of uses and gratification theory and social skill account of problematic Internet use, this study investigated how intensity of social networking use was associated with PSNSU via social skills and social anxiety among 26,612 Chinese college students in Shaanxi province. Sex difference in the associations was examined. Results from structural equation modeling reported that social anxiety partially mediated the positive association between intensity of social networking use and PSNSU, while intensity of social networking use was associated with increased social skills, which in turn suppressed the detrimental impact of intensity of social networking use on PSNSU. Multigroup analyses further showed that the associations between intensity of social networking use and social skills, and between social anxiety and PSNSU were more evident among males while the associations between social skills and social anxiety/PSNSU were stronger among females compared to males. Findings suggest that intensity of social networking use was associated with PSNSU via dual mechanisms of competitive mediation via social skills and complementary mediation via social anxiety. Interventions for PSNSU should take the social impact of social networking use and the sex difference into consideration.