Research showed that psychological vulnerabilities may underlie the problematic use of social networking sites, including TikTok. This study aimed to investigate the interrelationships between attachment attitudes, self-esteem, motives and behaviors related to TikTok use, and symptoms of problematic TikTok use among adolescents and young adults from China, Italy, and Spain. The sample comprised 3,313 TikTok users, who completed self-report measures. A network analysis was conducted to examine the interrelationships among the variables for the entire sample. Differences between the network structures of the Chinese, Italian, and Spanish groups were assessed using a network comparison test. Active TikTok usage behaviors were associated with symptoms of addictive engagement, whereas low self-esteem, high levels of attachment anxiety, and escapism motives were linked to TikTok use as compensatory strategy. Few differences were observed between the network structures. These findings may help professionals create culturally sensitive interventions to promote healthier TikTok usage behaviors.

Social networking sites (SNS) use is associated with a range of positive outcomes, but a minority of vulnerable individuals experience problematic social networking site use (PSNSU). The relationship between PSNSU, sleep habits, and psychological distress remains insufficiently studied, particularly among older adults. As longer life expectancies and socioeconomic development contribute to the rising prevalence of PSNSU in this population, further research is required. This study aims to profile SNS users aged 60 and above, based on sleep quality, chronotype, psychological distress symptoms, motivations for SNS use, and PSNSU symptoms. The study involved 4962 SNS users (mean age = 66.81 ± 6.6 years; 57.9% female) who completed self-report questionnaires. Latent profile analysis identified five distinct profiles, interpreted as ‘Highly distressed very poor sleepers’ (7.0%), ‘Moderately distressed users’ (21.2%), ‘Mildly distressed socially involved users’ (20.3%), ‘Highly distressed very poor sleepers at risk for PSNSU’ (9.6%), and ‘Healthy users’ (42.0%). These profiles revealed different patterns of SNS-related variables, sleep quality, chronotype, and psychological distress. The findings suggest these variables are intertwined among older adults, yet exhibit distinct gradients and configurations requiring attention and tailored interventions. The findings of this study might have significant implications for understanding and addressing PSNSU in the older population.

Problematic gaming (PG) refers to a dysfunctional pattern of online gaming behaviour that negatively affects individual functioning. The present study adopted a network analysis approach to investigate the patterns of reciprocal associations between PG, defense mechanisms, and psychopathological symptoms. Participants were 1,036 adult Italian online video game players (Mage = 29.94, SD = 8.85; females = 388) who completed self-report questionnaires. We used a regularised partial correlation network analysis (EBICglasso) to investigate the network structure of the relationships among PG, defense mechanisms, and psychopathological symptoms. Centrality measures were computed. The highly influential nodes in the network concerned both psychological symptoms (anxiety and obsessive-compulsive symptoms) and defense mechanisms (projection and autistic fantasy). Furthermore, the escapism feature of PG was detected as a prominent bridge symptom in the network. Our findings suggest that negative affect and immature defense mechanisms might play a pivotal role in PG, and that withdrawal in the virtual world may also exacerbate psychological symptoms. Therefore, better understanding the role of escapism and related immature defenses in PG might have important implications for theory and clinical practice.

The present study examined internet users aged 18–24 years based on their generalised (i.e. internet and smartphone) and specific (i.e. gaming, frequency of gaming, time spent in video game sessions) problematic internet use behaviours, and their relations with sociodemographic variables and psychosocial risk factors. The sample included 851 Italian young adults (51.9% females; Mage = 21.62 ± 1.58 years). Five different profiles of young adults characterised by unique patterns of generalised and specific problematic internet use were identified through the latent profile analysis (LPA): (1) non-problematic internet users, (2) normative internet and gaming users, (3) non-problematic gamers, (4) problematic internet users, and (5) problematic gamers. Significant differences were observed among profiles on several auxiliary variables, with problematic internet users and problematic gamers displaying higher levels of psychological distress, emotion dysregulation, dissociative experiences, attachment insecurity and loneliness, as well as lower levels of satisfaction of basic psychological needs, self-esteem, and perceived social support. The study findings support the view that a relatively small subgroup of internet users may need tailored intervention to reduce their maladaptive use of internet services and improve their psychological well-being.