Does TikTok Addiction exist? A qualitative study

HPR

Health Psychology Research

TBA2420-8124

Health Psychology Research

10.52965/001c.127796

General

Does TikTok Addiction exist? A qualitative studyhttps://healthpr.org/journal/HPR/13/1/10.52965/001c.127796CaponnettoPasquale,LanzafameInes,Chiara PrezzaventoGraziella,FakhrouAbdulnaser,LenzoVittorio,SardellaAlberto,Ali MoussaMahmoud,C. QuattropaniMaria

2025

131

2025-01-06

Background Problematic TikTok Use (PTU) is a psychological condition marked by compulsive and excessive engagement with the app, often characterized by prolonged scrolling, content interaction, and seeking user feedback.   Methods This qualitative study, conducted from February to March 2024, explored factors driving TikTok addiction, its consequences, and strategies for mitigation. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and surveys with 56 participants (23 men, 33 women).   Results Thematic analysis identified key addiction-related factors, including excessive time spent on the app, emotional attachment, and cognitive rumination over viewed content. Women demonstrated a higher likelihood of developing PTU, particularly when using TikTok for over six hours daily and displaying significant emotional and cognitive ties to its content. Despite its addictive potential, participants acknowledged positive aspects of TikTok, such as its capacity to disseminate cultural, educational, and artistic content. However, negative effects, including procrastination, attention deficits, and exposure to harmful content, were also noted.   Conclusion This study highlights the dual nature of TikTok’s impact, emphasizing the need for balanced use and targeted interventions to reduce addiction while leveraging its positive features.

1.Pedrouzo SB, Krynski L. Hyperconnected: children and adolescents on social media. The TikTok phenomenon. Arch Argent Pediatr. 2023;121(4):e2674. doi:10.5546/aap.2022-02674.eng Google Scholar 2.Nong W, He Z, Ye JH, Wu YF, Wu YT, Ye JN, et al. The relationship between short video flow, addiction, serendipity, and achievement motivation among Chinese vocational school students: The post-epidemic era context. Healthcare. 2023;11(4):462. doi:10.3390/healthcare11040462 Google Scholar 3.Wang Y. Humor and camera view on mobile short-form video apps influence user experience and technology-adoption intent, an example of TikTok (DouYin). Computers Hum Behav. 2020;110:106373. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2020.106373 Google Scholar 4.Günlü A, Oral T, Yoo S, Chung S. Reliability and validity of the problematic TikTok use scale among the general population. Front Psychiatry. 2023;14:1068431. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1068431 Google Scholar 5.Ye JH, Wu YT, Wu YF, Chen MY, Ye JN. Effects of short video addiction on the motivation and well-being of Chinese vocational college students. Front Public Health. 2022;10:847672. doi:10.3389/fpubh.2022.847672 Google Scholar 6.Wu L. Comparative analysis of video stories and user behaviors on WeChat and TikTok. In: Proceedings of the 2020 3rd International Conference on Humanities Education and Social Sciences (ICHESS 2020) [Internet]. Atlantis Press; 2020. doi:10.2991/assehr.k.201214.518 Google Scholar 7.Gu L, Gao X, Li Y. What drives me to use TikTok: A latent profile analysis of users’ motives. Front Psychol. 2022;13:992824. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.992824 Google Scholar 8.Dam VAT, Dao NG, Nguyen DC, Vu TMT, Boyer L, Auquier P, et al. Quality of life and mental health of adolescents: Relationships with social media addiction, fear of missing out, and stress associated with neglect and negative reactions by online peers. Mortazavi F, ed. PLoS One. 2023;18(6):e0286766. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0286766 Google Scholar 9.Bucknell Bossen C, Kottasz R. Uses and gratifications sought by pre-adolescent and adolescent TikTok consumers. Youth Cult. 2020;21(4):463-478. Google Scholar 10.Lu X, Lu Z, Liu C. Exploring TikTok use and non-use practices and experiences in China. In: Meiselwitz G, ed. Social Computing and Social Media Participation, User Experience, Consumer Experience, and Applications of Social Computing. Lecture Notes in Computer Science. Springer International Publishing; 2020:57-70. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-49576-3_5 Google Scholar 11.Yao N, Chen J, Huang S, Montag C, Elhai JD. Depression and social anxiety in relation to problematic TikTok use severity: The mediating role of boredom proneness and distress intolerance. Computers Hum Behav. 2023;145:107751. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2023.107751 Google Scholar 12.Aydin MK, Kuş M. Nomophobia and smartphone addiction amidst COVID-19 home confinement: The parallel mediating role of digital gaming and social media tools usage across secondary school students. Front Psychol. 2023;14:1175555. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1175555 Google Scholar 13.Sharabati AAA, Al-Haddad S, Al-Khasawneh M, Nababteh N, Mohammad M, Abu Ghoush Q. The impact of TikTok user satisfaction on continuous intention to use the application. J Open Innov Technol Market Complex. 2022;8(3):125. doi:10.3390/joitmc8030125 Google Scholar 14.Gupta AK, Upreti D, Shrestha S, Sawant S, Karki U, Shoib S. Adolescent-parent conflict in the era of ‘TikTok’: Case reports from Nepal. J Affect Disord Rep. 2021;6:100219. doi:10.1016/j.jadr.2021.100219 Google Scholar 15.Churchill SD. Insegnare il metodo fenomenologico: la capacità di «cogliere il significato» nei percorsi di ricerca delle scienze umane. Encyclopaideia. 2019;23:1-25. Google Scholar 16.Gorman GE, Clayton PR, Shep SJ, Clayton A. Qualitative Research for the Information Professional: A Practical Handbook. Facet Publishing; 2005. doi:10.29085/9781856047982 Google Scholar 17.Creswell JW, Poth CN. Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design: Choosing among Five Approaches. 4th ed. Sage Publications; 2018. Google Scholar 18.Braun V, Clarke V. Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qual Res Psychol. 2006;3(2):77-101. doi:10.1191/1478088706qp063oa Google Scholar 19.Bhandari A, Bimo S. TikTok and the “algorithmized self”: A new model of online interaction. SPIR [Internet]. Published online 2020. doi:10.5210/spir.v2020i0.11172 Google Scholar 20.Omar B, Dequan W. Watch, share or create: The influence of personality traits and user motivation on TikTok mobile video usage. Int J Interact Mob Technol. 2020;14(04):121. doi:10.3991/ijim.v14i04.12429 Google Scholar 21.Alutaybi A, Al-Thani D, McAlaney J, Ali R. Combating fear of missing out (FoMO) on social media: The FoMO-R method. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020;17(17):E3283. doi:10.3390/ijerph17176128 Google ScholarPubMed CentralPubMed 22.Scott CF, Bay-Cheng LY, Prince MA, Nochajski TH, Collins RL. Time spent online: Latent profile analyses of emerging adults’ social media use. Computers Hum Behav. 2017;75:311-319. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2017.05.026 Google ScholarPubMed CentralPubMed 23.Li L, Gao H, Xu Y. The mediating and buffering effect of academic self-efficacy on the relationship between smartphone addiction and academic procrastination. Computers Educ. 2020;159:104001. doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2020.104001 Google Scholar 24.Brand M, Wegmann E, Stark R, Muller A, Wolfling K, Robbins TW, et al. The interaction of person-affect-cognition-execution (I-PACE) model for addictive behaviors: Update, generalization to addictive behaviors beyond internet-use disorders, and specification of the process character of addictive behaviors. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2019;104:1-10. doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.06.032 Google Scholar 25.Dong G, Lin X, Hu Y, Xie C, Du X. Imbalanced functional link between executive control network and reward network explain the online-game seeking behaviors in Internet gaming disorder. Sci Rep. 2015;5:9197. doi:10.1038/srep09197 Google ScholarPubMed CentralPubMed 26.Conte G, Iorio GD, Esposito D, Romano S, Panvino F, Maggi S, et al. Scrolling through adolescence: A systematic review of the impact of TikTok on adolescent mental health. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. Published online 2024. doi:10.1007/s00787-024-02581-w Google Scholar