Relationship Between Perceived Social Norms and Phubbing: Individual Control and Fear of Missing Out as Mediators

With the increasing popularity of smartphones and social networks, phubbing has spread around the world. Mobile phones allow people to connect with others from almost anywhere at any time. However, there is growing concern that smartphones may actually sometimes detract, rather than complement, social interactions. The term "phubbing" represents the act of snubbing someone in a social setting by concentrating on one's phone instead of talking to the person directly. The impact of phubbing on the quality of interpersonal relationships, well-being, and behavior performance has also become a focus of interest for researchers. However, the relationship between perceived social norms and phubbing and its underlying mechanisms were still unclear. This study aims to examine the mediating role of individual control and fear of missing out in the association between perceived social norms and phubbing. A total of 927 college students (57.0% females) completed measures of perceived social norms, phubbing, individual control, and fear of missing out. The results showed that individual control mediated the relationship between perceived social norms and fear of missing out; fear of missing out mediated the association between individual control and phubbing; individual control and fear of missing out mediated the relationship between perceived social norms and phubbing, both in series and in parallel. The findings and implications of this study are presented and discussed, and these findings have important implications for the prevention and intervention of phubbing among college students.