Authors : Ifeanyi Uzomanze

Volume/Issue : Volume 11 - 2026, Issue 7 - July

Google Scholar : https://tinyurl.com/3v9h93rn

Scribd : https://tinyurl.com/yc3usazw

DOI : https://doi.org/10.38124/ijisrt/26jul241

Note : A published paper may take 4-5 working days from the publication date to appear in PlumX Metrics, Semantic Scholar, and ResearchGate.

Abstract : The digital age has witnessed remarkable technological advancements that have transformed human communication through social media platforms. While these platforms provide significant social, educational, and professional benefits, growing evidence indicates that excessive and uncontrolled use may contribute to addictive behaviours and adverse psychological outcomes. Social media addiction has emerged as a behavioural condition characterized by compulsive use, loss of control, preoccupation with online activities, and continued engagement despite negative consequences. Concurrently, psychological distress, including anxiety, depression, stress, and emotional dysregulation, has become increasingly prevalent among adolescents and young adults who are intensive social media users. Research suggests that susceptibility to social media addiction and psychological distress results from the interaction of neurocognitive and psychosocial factors. Neurocognitive mechanisms such as executive dysfunction, impaired inhibitory control, attentional bias, reward sensitivity, and impulsivity may predispose individuals to problematic social media engagement. Similarly, psychosocial factors, including loneliness, fear of missing out (FoMO), low self-esteem, social comparison, and limited social support, may reinforce excessive social media use while exacerbating psychological distress. This paper synthesizes contemporary evidence on the neurocognitive and psychosocial predictors of social media addiction and psychological distress and proposes an integrated framework for understanding these relationships. Drawing on cognitive-behavioural theory, the Interaction of Person-Affect-Cognition-Execution (I-PACE) model, and psychosocial vulnerability perspectives, the study highlights the pathways through which individual differences contribute to problematic social media use and mental health outcomes. The findings underscore the need for multidimensional prevention and intervention strategies targeting both cognitive and psychosocial vulnerabilities in the digital age.

Keywords : Social Media Addiction, Psychological Distress, Neurocognitive Mechanisms, Psychosocial Factors, Impulsivity, Fear of Missing Out.

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