The impact of problematic mobile phone use on loneliness among college students in the digital intelligence era: A chain mediating model with moderation effects.

Drawing upon social comparison theory and self-evaluation maintenance theory, this study investigates how mobile phone addiction influences loneliness in Chinese college students during the digital era. The study recruited 566 college students as participants, among whom 76.1% were female. Using data from 566 undergraduate participants measured with the Upward Social Comparison (USC) Scale, Loneliness Scale, Core Self-Evaluations (CSE) Scale, Mobile Phone Addiction (MPA) Scale, and Self-Esteem (SE) Scale, we constructed and validated a moderated chain mediation model. Results revealed: (1) MPA showed a significant positive association with loneliness (r = 0.23, p < .001); (2) Mobile phone addiction affects loneliness through three mediating pathways: one via upward social comparison (indirect effect β = 0.04), and the other via core self-evaluation without going through upward social comparison (indirect effect β = 0.13). The total indirect effect is 0.19 (all β are standardized indirect effects); (3) SE significantly moderated the relationship between CSE and loneliness (β = -0.08, p < .01), with the negative association between CSE and loneliness becoming stronger at higher levels of SE. Notably, high-SE groups exhibited significantly lower loneliness than low-SE counterparts. These findings indicate that MPA likely exacerbates loneliness through heightened USC and reduced CSE, whereas SE functions as a protective psychological mechanism mitigating this process. Theoretically, this study advances our understanding of digital-age mental health mechanisms. Practically, it provides empirical evidence for colleges and universities to conduct mental health education among college students and prevent mobile phone addiction and loneliness, while offering practical implications for targeted interventions by improving self-esteem and guiding adaptive social comparison.