Emotional intelligence and problematic use of social media in adolescents: the counterintuitive role of attention and emotional clarity

Introduction Problematic social media use among adolescents has become an emerging mental health issue, alongside impulsivity and emotional dysregulation, where emotional intelligence (EI) has traditionally been considered a protective factor. This study examined the association between emotional intelligence and its dimensions with problematic social media use in adolescents. Method A cross-sectional study was conducted with 370 participants. The Social Media Addiction Risk Scale (ERA-RSI) and Trait Meta-Mood Scale-24 (TMMS-24) were administered. Descriptive, correlational, and hierarchical multiple regression analyses were performed, with age and sex entered as covariates. Results Male participants showed higher levels of problematic use across all dimensions (p < .001), while female participants showed greater emotional attention (M = 22.6 vs. M = 20.8; p = .009). All three dimensions of the TMMS-24 were positively associated with indicators of problematic use: emotional attention showed the strongest association with addiction (r = .374) and nomophobia (r = .368). The regression model explained 15% of the variance in addiction (R2= .150), identifying emotional attention and sex as significant predictors. Conclusions Emotional attention may intensify the risk of addiction, especially when not accompanied by effective regulation strategies. Therefore, interventions should incorporate emotional awareness components with structured training in coping strategies. Future longitudinal research is needed to establish the temporal sequence between emotional competence and the development of problematic social media use.