Loneliness and Social Media Use: Bidirectional Link Found in Year-Long Study of Chinese College Students

In exploring the link between loneliness and problematic social media use among Chinese college students, the one-year longitudinal study involving 538 participants revealed a bidirectional causal relationship. Both loneliness and inappropriate social media use positively influenced each other. The study also uncovered a gradual increase in these phenomena during students' college tenure. Notably, the intercept and slope of loneliness significantly impacted those of problematic social media use, and vice versa. The findings provide valuable insights for researchers and educators aiming to address these issues in college students from a developmental standpoint.