Young adult ‘night owls’ (or ‘evening types’ – those who prefer to stay up late) are significantly more at risk of developing problematic relationships with smartphones and social media.
Problematic smartphone use is characterised by anxiety when separated from one’s phone, neglecting responsibilities in favour of phone use, and compulsively checking notifications. Social media addiction is similarly marked by excessive, uncontrolled usage that interferes with daily life.
Nearly 40 per cent of UK students are now believed to exhibit signs of social media addiction, with young women at particularly high risk. Past research has linked eveningness to a range of adverse outcomes, including poor sleep quality, depression, and addictive behaviours. But until now, no study has investigated the mechanisms underlying the link between being an “evening person” and problematic technology use.
It’s not just a matter of screen time, as new research from the University of Portsmouth, in collaboration with the University of Surrey, has identified why this link exists. Loneliness and anxiety are acting as the primary mediating factors, with smartphone and social media use likely being used by young adult night owls as coping strategies for their anxiety and feelings of loneliness.
In what is thought to be the first study of its kind, researchers surveyed 407 young adults aged 18 to 25, using validated psychological measures to investigate how sleep-wake timing (circadian preferences) relate to problematic smartphone use and social media addiction. The study examined the mechanisms underlying these associations and identified loneliness and anxiety as the primary contributors.
“Our findings point to a vicious cycle,” said Dr Anna-Stiina Wallinheimo, School of Psychology, Sport, and Health Sciences at the University of Portsmouth. “Young adults who are naturally more active in the evening often find themselves socially out of sync, which may lead to feelings of loneliness and anxiety. Many then turn to smartphones and social media to cope, but unfortunately, these tools can make things worse, not better.”
“This research fills a crucial gap in the literature,” said Dr Wallinheimo. “While we’ve known that night owls are more vulnerable to problematic technology use, we haven’t understood why. Now we can see that emotional factors – especially loneliness – are playing a significant role.”
“These young people aren’t using technology just because it’s available,” Dr Wallinheimo explained. “They’re using it to try to soothe emotional discomfort. The tragedy is that it often deepens their distress instead.”
With youth mental health in crisis and levels of anxiety, depression, and isolation among young people at an all-time high, the findings have urgent implications for intervention strategies.
The researchers argue that prevention efforts should target emotional well-being, especially for evening-type young adults, who are at the highest risk.
Dr Simon Evans, from the School of Psychology at the University of Surrey, said: “Rather than simply telling young people to spend less time on their phones, we need to address the reasons behind their usage.
“That means providing effective strategies to manage loneliness and anxiety – particularly during late evening hours when support services are limited, and feelings of isolation can be most intense.”
The researchers are now calling for targeted education and support systems for young adults, especially students, who may not realise their sleep patterns and emotional struggles are placing them at heightened risk of problematic technology use.
“Increased awareness of these underlying mechanisms could lead to far more effective interventions,” Dr Wallinheimo. “If we can help young people understand that their phones and social media feeds aren’t the solution to loneliness or anxiety but part of the problem, we might begin to turn the tide.”
The paper, ‘Mechanisms that link circadian preference to problematic smartphone and social media use in young adults’, has been published in PLOS One.
