Abstract: With the rapid development of Internet and the widespread utilization of smartphones, the popularity of social media platforms among adolescents has risen and concerns on adolescents' social media use are rising among schools and families. Problematic social media use (PSMU) refers to an unhealthy and excessive way of social media use, characterized by additive-like and uncontrollable social media use behavior. PSMU has been related to negative life consequences such as low academic achievements, poor sleep quality, and mental health issues. Therefore, understanding the risk factors of PSMU and the underlying mechanism has garnered significant attention from scientists around the world. Previous studies on PSMU mainly focused on the predicting role of individual factors. It is still unknown whether and how peer environment influences PSMU among adolescents. Peer exclusion, a vital negative peer environment indicator, may act as a risk factor in increasing adolescents' PSMU. Adolescents who are socially excluded by their peers may seek compensation from internet because of different social motivations. Therefore, the present study investigated the predicting role of peer exclusion on PSMU and its underlying process by distinguishing between social approaching motivation (i.e., fear of missing out) and social avoiding motivation (i.e., social avoidance). Moreover, little is known about the regional differences of these associations. To address these hypotheses, we constructed an “approaching-avoiding” parallel-path model and recruited participants from both Guangzhou and Macao.
A total of 965 adolescents (M_age = 12.78 years old, SD = 2.45 years old; 52% are male) from Guangzhou (n = 749) and Macao (n = 216) participated in this study. Participants anonymously completed the Peer Exclusion Scale, the Fear of Missing Out Scale, the Social and Avoidance Scale, and the Problematic Social Media Use Scale. Meanwhile, demographic information, including gender, age, grade, and parental educational level, was also collected. The results showed that: (1) Adolescents who reported higher levels of peer exclusion displayed higher levels of PSMU; (2) The indirect effect of fear of missing out as a mediator between peer exclusion and PSMU was positive and significant and was consistent across both Guangzhou and Macao; (3) The indirect effect of social avoidance as a mediator between peer exclusion and PSMU was only significant among adolescents in Guangzhou. Furthermore, among the total indirect effects of mediators, the indirect effect of fear of missing out was found to be stronger than that of social avoidance.
In conclusion, the current study sheds light on the impact of peer exclusion, a core detrimental environmental factor, on PSMU among adolescents. Results indicated that peer exclusion may increase adolescents' PSMU through fear of missing out and social avoidance, with differences noted between adolescents in Guangzhou and Macao. These findings contribute to the existing literature on the compensatory Internet use theory and the Multi-motive Model, and further our understandings of the psychological mechanism between peer exclusion and PSMU. Moreover, this research has practical significance for decreasing adolescents' PSMU and highlights the importance of peer environment. Findings suggest that intervening on peer exclusion might be promising to reduce adolescents' PSMU and additional attention should be paid to the regional difference between Guangzhou and Macao.

Key words: peer exclusion, fear of missing out, social avoidance, social media use, Guangzhou and Macao adolescents

摘要： 同伴排斥是加剧青少年问题性社交媒体使用的重要风险因素,但内在机制尚不清晰,故本研究基于多元动机理论和补偿性网络使用理论构建了“趋近-回避”双路径模型,并选取粤澳两地965名青少年（n_广州=749名,n_澳门=216名）进行研究。结果发现：高同伴排斥的青少年更沉迷社交媒体使用;同伴排斥会通过错失恐惧这一“趋近”路径影响问题性社交媒体使用,粤澳区域差异不显著;也会通过社交回避这一“回避”路径间接影响,但仅在广州青少年中成立。这说明同伴排斥影响青少年问题性社交媒体使用的双路径机制存在粤澳地域差异,这为粤澳地区有针对性地开展青少年网络社交成瘾的预防与干预提供了理论参考。

关键词: 同伴排斥, 错失恐惧, 社交回避, 网络社交媒体使用, 粤澳青少年