Associations Between Instagram Addiction, Academic Performance, Social Anxiety, Depression, and Life Satisfaction Among University Students

The use of social networking sites (SNSs) has become increasingly popular. Although several studies have been carried out on the addictive use of SNSs such as Twitter and Facebook, there is little research on Instagram addiction and its drivers. The present study investigated the association between students’ needs and Instagram addiction by incorporating physical activity as a moderator among 364 university students. Additionally, the associations between Instagram addiction, academic performance, depression, social anxiety, and life satisfaction were investigated. The results showed that recognition needs, social needs, and entertainment needs all contributed to Instagram addiction. However, information needs were not a significant predictor of Instagram addiction. The findings also illustrated that physical activity had a moderating role in the effect of social needs and entertainment needs on Instagram addiction. The findings also provide evidence of the negative impact of Instagram addiction on academic performance and the positive effect of Instagram addiction on social anxiety and depression. Academic performance was a positive predictor of life satisfaction, while social anxiety and depression negatively influenced students’ life satisfaction. The findings contribute to the extant literature by investigating the possible precursors and outcomes of Instagram addiction.