Metacognitions and emotional regulation as predictors of problematic Internet use in adolescents

Objective: Problematic Internet Use (PIU), broadly conceptualized as an inability to control one’s use of the Internet leading to negative consequences in daily life, is fast becoming a matter of significant concern in our society, particularly in adolescents. In the present study we aimed to assess a model in which metacognitions and emotion regulation independently predicted PIU. Method: A total of 380 adolescent students from a secondary school in Italy voluntarily participated in the study. Students completed a set of online self-report scales assessing PIU, metacognitions, and emotion regulation. Results: Metacognitions, with the exception of cognitive self-consciousness, were positively correlated with PIU. Moreover, emotion regulation negatively correlated with PIU. The model tested indicated that both metacognitions and emotion regulation had direct effects (positive and negative respectively) on PIU and that the relationship between metacognitions and emotion regulation was not significant. Conclusions: Both metacognitions and emotion regulation appear to be relevant to PIU among adolescents. We discuss the implications of these findings.