Psychological vulnerability and mobile phone addiction in rural left-behind children: the mediating role of social anxiety and avoidance expectations

Objective: While mobile phone use facilitates adolescents' access to information, emotional expression, and interpersonal interaction, it also contributes to mobile phone addiction, adversely affecting adolescents' psychological health. Method: This study empirically examines the relationship between psychological vulnerability and mobile phone addiction among 700 rural left-behind children in China. Result: The results indicate that psychological vulnerability significantly contributes to mobile phone addiction; moreover, social anxiety and avoidance expectancy mediate this relationship. Additionally, a mediating chain effect was identified, wherein psychological vulnerability influences mobile phone addiction through social anxiety and avoidance expectancy. Conclusion: The findings of this study offer valuable insights into the impact of mobile phone addiction on the mental health of left-behind children, providing theoretical and practical references for effective interventions targeting mobile phone addiction and associated mental health issues such as anxiety and depression among this population.