“Social media and fear of missing out in adolescents: the role of family characteristics” 
by Noor Bloemen and David De Coninck

                                                                                                                                                                Image from King University Online

This article explores a behavioral problem with excessive use of social media by adolescents – fear of missing out (FoMO) which can be defined as a desire to be online and a constant urge to check social media (Bloemen & De Coninck, 2020). The article mentioned the definition, characteristics and causes of FoMO. It also illustrated the relationship between young people and social media addiction. The aim of the research in this article was to explore which family characteristics including family structure, parental relationship quality and parenting style are associated with FoMO in adolescents. The research collected data through an online survey from Flemish and Brussels adolescents aged 13 to 18 years old. There were totally 831 respondents. Regarding the role of family structure, the research found that adolescents from non-intact families may develop less FoMO than adolescents from intact families since they seem more adept at achieving personal independence and social connectedness. Regarding the relationship quality and parenting style, the research found that the association of the relationship with the father with FoMO is stronger than the association with the relationship with the mother. Moreover, higher level of support and control by the father only is related to lower levels of FoMO among adolescents. Also, higher perceived relationship quality between parents is positively associated with FoMO.

I think the research direction is quite good. The authors raise awareness of people about the influence of family on adolescents’ online behaviours, especially the difference between intact family and non-intact family and the important role of father. Nevertheless, I have reservations about the findings of the research. It is not sufficient to represent that all adolescents from non-intact families may develop less FoMO than adolescents from intact families due to the limited number of regions and respondents surveyed. Moreover, I think the key factor for adolescents develop FoMO by using social media neither depends on whether they come from intact or non-intact families nor higher level of support and control by their fathers. The key factor is positive parent-adolescent relationship. When parents build good relationships with their teenage children, there are positive family environments which can reduce the risk factor for adolescents’ problematic internet use. Also, positive relationships can decrease depressive symptoms in adolescents. They adopt less avoidance behaviors such as compulsive internet use, which helps reduce the development of FoMO (Sela et al., 2020).

                                                                                          References

Bloemen, N., & De Coninck, D. (2020). Social media and fear of missing out in adolescents: The role of family characteristics. Social Media + Society, 6(4). https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305120965517

Sela, Yaron, Zach, Merav, & Amichay-Hamburger, Yair. (2020) Family environment and problematic internet use among adolescents: The mediating roles of depression and fear of missing out. Computers in human behavior, 106, 106226. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2019.106226