The relationship between physical exercise and social media addiction among Chinese university students: a random intercept cross-lagged panel model analysis

08/09/2026

AI Summary

Physical exercise is strongly negatively associated with Social Media Addiction at the between-person level (β = -0.571).
Within-person bidirectional effects: exercise reduces later Social Media Addiction while addiction reduces later exercise (βs -0.199 to -0.138; -0.146 to -0.242).
Psychological resilience mediates the effect of physical exercise on Social Media Addiction; the reverse pathway was not significant.

TL;DR (AI Generated)

Despite evidence linking physical exercise to lower Social Media Addiction, it remains unknown whether within-person changes in physical exercise actually predict subsequent changes in Social Media Addiction, and whether psychological resilience accounts for this link.

OBJECTIVE: This study employed a random intercept cross-lagged panel model (RI-CLPM) to examine the longitudinal relationships between physical exercise and Social Media Addiction among university students, and to test the mediating role of psychological resilience.

At the within-person level, bidirectional relationships were identified: physical exercise negatively predicted subsequent Social Media Addiction (β = -0.199 to -0.138), while Social Media Addiction negatively predicted subsequent physical exercise (β = -0.146 to -0.242).

Basic summary

BMC Psychol. 2026 Aug 1;14(1):1298. doi: 10.1186/s40359-026-05271-1.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: In the digital era, Social Media Addiction has emerged as a prominent issue affecting the mental health of university students. Despite evidence linking physical exercise to lower Social Media Addiction, it remains unknown whether within-person changes in physical exercise actually predict subsequent changes in Social Media Addiction, and whether psychological resilience accounts for this link. Prior work is constrained by cross-sectional designs, the absence of a unified model integrating these three constructs, and reliance on traditional cross-lagged panel models that cannot separate between-person from within-person effects.

METHODS: A three-wave longitudinal study was conducted with 632 university students (M_age = 20.29, SD = 0.86) from two universities in China, with data collected in January 2025, July 2025, and January 2026.

RESULTS: At the between-person level, physical exercise was negatively associated with Social Media Addiction (β = -0.571). At the within-person level, bidirectional relationships were identified: physical exercise negatively predicted subsequent Social Media Addiction (β = -0.199 to -0.138), while Social Media Addiction negatively predicted subsequent physical exercise (β = -0.146 to -0.242). Psychological resilience significantly mediated the effect of physical exercise on Social Media Addiction (β = -0.115), but the reverse pathway was not significant.

CONCLUSION: Physical exercise and Social Media Addiction demonstrate a reciprocal relationship at the within-person level, with psychological resilience serving as a significant mediator. Universities should integrate physical exercise into mental health promotion strategies to prevent Social Media Addiction.

PMID:42706555 | DOI:10.1186/s40359-026-05271-1

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