Social Media Use Intensity and Well-Being: Suppression Effect of Online Social Support and Moderating Role of Social Media Type

Authors

  • Mengchen Chen

    Department of Psychology, Teachers’ College, Beijing Union University, Beijing 100011, China
  • Jinhua Yang

    Department of Psychology, Teachers’ College, Beijing Union University, Beijing 100011, China

    Learning and Psychological Development Institution for Children and Adolescents, Beijing Union University, Beijing 100011, China
  • Baoyuan Cao

    Department of Psychology, Teachers’ College, Beijing Union University, Beijing 100011, China
  • Keyi Li

    Department of Psychology, Teachers‘ College, Beijing Union University, Beijing, China.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30564/jpr.v8i4.13790
Received: 21 July 2026 | Revised: 8 August 2026 |Accepted: 28 August 2026 | Published Online: 8 October 202

Abstract

As social media is deeply integrated into daily life, users’ mental health issues are becoming increasingly prominent. This study, based on the theoretical perspective of the “social media paradox,” explores the impact of social media usage intensity on subjective well-being, as well as the mediating role of online social support and the moderating role of social media types (WeChat vs. Xiaohongshu). Valid data from 809 participants were collected using the Social Media Usage Intensity Scale, the Online Social Support Scale, and the Subjective Well-being Scale, and the mediating and moderated mediating effects were analyzed using the PROCESS macro for SPSS. The results show that: (1) social media usage intensity significantly and negatively predicts subjective well-being; (2) online social support plays a suppression effect between social media usage intensity and subjective well-being, with a significant indirect positive effect, although the direct negative effect is substantially larger; (3) social media type significantly moderates the predictive effect of usage intensity on online social support, with Xiaohongshu users showing greater gains in online support from higher usage intensity than WeChat users, supporting the first-stage moderation effect. The role of online social support in buffering the negative association is limited in offsetting the negative outcomes associated with excessive use, and the moderating role of social media type does not alter the overall pattern in which loss outweighs compensation.

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How to Cite

Chen, M., Yang, J., Cao, B., & Li, K. (2026). Social Media Use Intensity and Well-Being: Suppression Effect of Online Social Support and Moderating Role of Social Media Type. Journal of Psychological Research, 8(4), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.30564/jpr.v8i4.13790

Issue

Vol. 8 , Iss. 4 (October 2026): In Progress

Article Type

Article

License

Copyright © 2026 Mengchen Chen, Jinhua Yang, Baoyuan Cao, Keyi Li

Creative Commons License

This is an open access article under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) License.

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