Depression and social anxiety in relation to problematic TikTok use severity: The mediating role of boredom proneness and distress intolerance

With a rapid rise in TikTok use, problematic TikTok use has become a contemporary concern. However, little is known about how problematic TikTok use develops. The current study examined two important cognitive and emotional processes (i.e., boredom proneness and distress intolerance) through which depression and social anxiety may contribute to problematic TikTok use. We recruited 822 regular TikTok users from China through an online survey service provider and assessed their levels of depression, social anxiety, boredom proneness, distress intolerance, and problematic TikTok use severity on two assessment occasions with a two-month interval. Using structural equation modeling, we examined the associations between depression and social anxiety (time 1 predictors) with problematic TikTok use severity (time 2 dependent variable) through boredom proneness and distress intolerance (time 1 mediators). Results revealed a significant mediating effect of distress intolerance, whereas boredom proneness played no significant mediating role. These findings suggest that the perceived inability to withstand distress may contribute to the development of problematic TikTok use, and may explain relations between psychopathology symptoms and problematic TikTok use.