The mediating role of social media addiction in the relationship between usage time and physical activity attitudes among adolescents: a cross-sectional study

This study aimed to examine the associations among social media addiction, social media platform preferences, and physical activity attitudes in adolescents. The study included 742 volunteer high school students (473 males and 269 females) aged 14–17 years attending schools in Bitlis, Türkiye, during the 2024–2025 academic year. Data were collected using a personal information form, the Social Media Addiction Scale–Short Form (SMAS-SF), and the Physical Activity Attitude Scale for Children and Adolescents (PAAS-CA).

Independent samples t-tests, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), Bonferroni-adjusted post hoc comparisons, Pearson correlation analyses, and mediation analysis (PROCESS macro Model 4) were performed. Effect sizes were calculated using Cohen's d and eta-squared (η2). Significant differences in social media addiction and physical activity attitudes were observed based on gender, age, grade level, family income, physical activity status, platform preference, and daily usage time (p