The Relationships among Social Stress, Self-Regulation, Addictive Smartphone Use, and Social Media Usage Behaviour of Generation Z

Abstract

Despite rising recognition that addictive smartphone use is a significant concern, there has been insufficient study into how social stress, self-regulation, addictive smartphone use, and social media usage relate to Generation Z's overall psychological aspects. The current study focused on Generation Z students in Bangladesh, a developing country, who are now pursuing higher education. The current study aims to provide a quantitative assessment of the linkages between social stress and self-regulation as they relate to addictive smartphone use, which leads to social media usage in both direct and indirect ways. Furthermore, Generation Z's academic performance is regarded as a moderating construct between addictive smartphone and social media usage behaviour. Primary data were gathered using the non-probability, purposive sampling technique. The structured questionnaire survey was completed by 841 Generation Z university students in total. The study model was evaluated using the Smart PLS-SEM software programme. The study's results demonstrated the significant direct and indirect impacts of self-regulation and social stress. According to the results, a mediating relationship is evident. On the other hand, the moderating construct of academic performance did not find any statistical significance. The results of this study add to the body of knowledge about social stress, regulation, addictive smartphone use, and Generation Z's use of social media, particularly in the setting of developing nations. This study also addressed the study limitations and looked at the practical consequences of its findings.