Fear of missing out and sleep: Cognitive behavioural factors in adolescents' nighttime social media use

ABSTRACT Introduction Social media use has been linked to poor adolescent sleep outcomes, but the mechanisms behind this association are not yet well understood. This study examines links between adolescents' social media habits, fear of missing out and sleep outcomes, using path analysis to evaluate a model of proposed underlying mechanisms. Methods Adolescents aged 12–18 years (N = 101) completed questionnaire measures. Results Nighttime social media use was associated with later bedtimes, increased pre‐sleep cognitive arousal, longer sleep onset latency and shorter sleep duration. Path analysis supported a model whereby fear of missing out predicted shorter sleep duration via two distinct mechanisms: (1) at a behavioural level, by driving late night social media use, which delays bedtimes; (2) at a cognitive level, by increasing pre‐sleep cognitive arousal, thus further delaying sleep onset. Conclusions Efforts to develop and evaluate intervention strategies should therefore consider not only social media behaviours but also underlying cognitive factors, such as fear of missing out.