Understanding Young Adults’ Social Media Anxiety: Mediating Role of Upward Social Comparison and the Moderating Role of Psychological Resilience

Background: Platform algorithms driving content presentation are profoundly shaping the experience of younger users. While prior research has examined anxiety stemming from young adults’ social media usage, the link between upward social comparison and anxiety remains unclear. This study aims to investigate the mediating role of upward social comparison in this relationship and determine the moderating role of psychological resilience. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 562 young Chinese adults aged 18–35 (53% female). Data were collected via an online questionnaire employing validated measurement instruments, including scales for social media usage patterns, upward comparator behaviour (INCOM), anxiety levels (GAD-7), and psychological resilience (RSA). Correlation analysis, mediation analysis, and moderation analysis were conducted using SPSS 29.0. Results: As predicted, the results indicate that upward social comparison mediates the relationship between both active (β = −0.11, 95% CI = [−0.15, −0.08]) and passive (β = 0.11, 95% CI = [0.07, 0.15]) social media use and anxiety. Furthermore, psychological resilience (β_low = 0.10, 95% CI = [0.06, 0.14]; β_high = 0.05, 95% CI = [0.01, 0.09]) moderated the indirect effect of passive social media use on anxiety through upward social comparison. Conclusion: The findings indicate that upward social comparison significantly influences the anxiety experienced by young social media users, with psychological resilience playing a crucial moderating role. These results offer valuable insights for optimizing content recommendation algorithms on social media platforms to better support young adults’ mental health.