{"id":71619,"date":"2025-09-25T18:37:09","date_gmt":"2025-09-25T10:37:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/?p=71619"},"modified":"2025-09-25T18:37:09","modified_gmt":"2025-09-25T10:37:09","slug":"study-finds-loneliness-and-anxiety-fuel-smartphone-and-social-media-addiction-in-night-owls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/2025\/09\/25\/study-finds-loneliness-and-anxiety-fuel-smartphone-and-social-media-addiction-in-night-owls\/","title":{"rendered":"Study finds loneliness and anxiety fuel smartphone and social media addiction in \u2018night owls\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Young adult \u2018night owls\u2019 (or \u2018evening types\u2019 – those who prefer to stay up late) are significantly more at risk of developing problematic relationships with smartphones and social media.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Problematic smartphone use is characterised by anxiety when separated from one\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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 \u201cevening person\u201d and problematic technology use.<\/p>\n

It’s not just a matter of screen time, as\u00a0new research<\/a>\u00a0from 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur findings point to a vicious cycle,\u201d said\u00a0Dr Anna-Stiina Wallinheimo<\/a>,\u00a0School of Psychology, Sport, and Health Sciences<\/a>\u00a0at the University of Portsmouth. \u201cYoung 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis research fills a crucial gap in the literature,\u201d said Dr Wallinheimo. \u201cWhile we\u2019ve known that night owls are more vulnerable to problematic technology use, we haven\u2019t understood why.\u00a0 Now we can see that emotional factors – especially loneliness – are playing a significant role.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThese young people aren\u2019t using technology just because it\u2019s available,\u201d Dr Wallinheimo explained. \u201cThey\u2019re using it to try to soothe emotional discomfort. The tragedy is that it often deepens their distress instead.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The researchers argue that prevention efforts should target emotional well-being, especially for evening-type young adults, who are at the highest risk.<\/p>\n

Dr Simon Evans, from the School of Psychology at the University of Surrey, said: \u201cRather than simply telling young people to spend less time on their phones, we need to address the reasons behind their usage.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cIncreased awareness of these underlying mechanisms could lead to far more effective interventions,\u201d Dr Wallinheimo. \u201cIf we can help young people understand that their phones and social media feeds aren\u2019t the solution to loneliness or anxiety but part of the problem, we might begin to turn the tide.\u201d<\/p>\n

The paper,\u00a0\u2018Mechanisms that link circadian preference to problematic smartphone and social media use in young adults\u2019<\/a>, has been published in\u00a0PLOS One.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Problematic smartphone use is characterised by anxiety when separated from one\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":71059,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[7119,4866,201,96],"class_list":["post-71619","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-headlines","tag-mental-health","tag-smart-phone","tag-smartphone","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71619","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=71619"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71619\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":71620,"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71619\/revisions\/71620"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/71059"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=71619"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=71619"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=71619"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}