Gender differences of problematic social media use

Introduction. As soon as the digital environment is rapidly changing, it is still critical to identify common psychological characteristics that lead to problematic social media and network use, as well as gender differences that allow identifying specific vulnerability factors to the formation of this type of addictive behavior. Aim: the paper was aimed at identifying gender differences in problematic social media use among adolescent students. Materials and methods. The study involved 633 students from the Moscow region, including 358 (56.6 %) male and 275 (43.4 %) female students from 15 to 17 years of age (M = 15.5, SD = 0.68). The following methods of psychological diagnosis were used: the modified Problematic Facebook Use Scale; the time spent using social media scale; the Social Media Disorder Scale. Results. In this population, the parameters under study showed that female students were more vulnerable to problematic social media use compared to male students and were more likely to have difficulties with controlling their time spent using social networks. Moreover, female students were more likely to spend a lot of time on social networks during emotional distraction. A longer use of social networks among male students was associated with their preferences for online communication. Unsuccessful attempts to reduce the time spent on social networks and family conflicts were also more characteristic of female students. Conclusion. Risk factors for problematic social media use that should be taken into account for the corresponding prevention programs include difficulties with emotional self-regulation, control difficulties, and cognitive preoccupation with social networks in female students, as well as a preference for online communication in male students.