Screen Time Mediating Between Fear of Missing Out and Procrastination Among University Students: Moderation by Self-Regulation

Abstract

The study aimed to investigate the mediating role of screen time in the relationship between Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) and procrastination. In addition, the moderating effect of self‑regulation on the direct and indirect association between FoMO and procrastination were also examined. Using purposive sampling technique, data was collected from university students (N ꓿ 406) from Rawalpindi, and Islamabad. Along with demographic information, measures of the General Procrastination Scale (Lay, 1986), The Media and Technology Usage and Attitudes Scale (Rosen et al., 2013), the Fear of Missing Out Scale (Wegmann et al., 2017), and Short‑form Self‑regulation Questionnaire (Carey et al., 2004) were used to assess the study variables. Additionally, screen time was also assessed objectively from time tracking feature of the mobile phones of participants. Cronbach’s alpha reliabilities for all the scales and subscales were satisfactory. Results of correlation analysis showed that procrastination is positively associated with FoMO and screen time but negatively associated with self‑regulation among university students. FoMO is positively associated with screen time, and negatively related with self‑regulation. Screen time, on the other hand, is negatively associated with self‑regulation. To investigate the predictors of procrastination and screen time, multiple linear regression analysis was conducted. Results showed that state‑FoMO and social networking screen time positively predict procrastination while self‑regulation negatively predicts procrastination. Findings further revealed that trait and state‑FoMO positively predict media and technology usage whereas only state‑FoMO positively predicts the daily average and weekly summary of screen time. The results of mediation analysis showed that media and technology usage and social networking screen time mediate the relationship between FoMO and procrastination. The moderation analysis affirmed that self‑regulation decreases the direct association between FoMO and screen time. Findings also revealed that self‑regulation decreases the indirect association between FoMO, and procrastination mediated by screen time. Results also showed significant group differences in terms of gender, program of study, discipline of study, family system, number of devices used, father’s and mother’s occupational statuses, and father’s and mother’s education level. Conclusively, FoMO causes x increased screen time resulting in increased procrastination while high level of self‑regulation decrease the likelihood of procrastination. The study emphasizes the need for interventions targeting self-regulation for screen time management to reduce procrastination among university students. The identified group differences further highlight the significance of taking individual and contextual factors into account when designing interventions aimed at reducing procrastination.