Excessive use of WeChat, social interaction and locus of control among college students in China.

ABSTRACT: In China, the number of college students using mobile phone based messaging and social networking applications like WeChat is increasing rapidly. However, there has been minimal research into the addictive nature of these applications and the psychological characteristics associate with their excessive use. There is also no published scale available for assessing excessive use of WeChat and similar applications. In the current study, we collected data from 1,245 college students in China (715 females) and developed the WeChat Excessive Use Scale (WEUS). We then assessed the relationship between excessive use of WeChat and excessive use of a social networking application-Weibo, problematic use of mobile phones, external locus of control, and social interaction skills. Our 10-item scale feat

SUBMITTER: Hou J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5560757 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature