Longitudinal Associations Between TikTok Use, Self-Concept Clarity, and Anxiety Among Chinese Emerging Adults: Exploring Differential Impacts of Active and Passive TikTok Use.

Liu, Qingqi; Wen, Jiani; Wang, Ningxi; Wang, Manjun

Short-form video applications, such as TikTok, have gained significant popularity among emerging adults. We conducted a longitudinal study to gather data at three time points from two universities in South China. A total of 590 university students (M age = 19.83; SD age = 1.24) completed the questionnaires measuring active and passive TikTok use behaviors at time 1 (T1, April 2022), self-concept clarity at time 2 (T2, October 2022), and anxiety both at Time 1 (T1, April 2022) and at Time 3 (T3, April 2023). The results showed that T1 active TikTok use had a negative correlation with T3 anxiety (r = −0.23, p <.001), while T1 passive TikTok use had a positive correlation with T3 anxiety (r = 0.30, p <.001). Both T1 active TikTok use (95% CI [0.03, 0.09]) and T1 passive TikTok use (95% CI [0.07, 0.16]) can predict T3 anxiety indirectly by reducing T2 self-concept clarity. Moreover, even after considering T2 self-concept clarity, the direct impact of T1 active TikTok use on T3 anxiety remained significant (95% CI [−0.24, −0.09]), but the direct effect of T1 passive TikTok use on T3 anxiety was not significant (95% CI [−0.04, 0.12]).

TIKTOK (Web resource); SELF-perception; ANXIETY; ADULTS; LONGITUDINAL method

Emerging Adulthood, 2025, Vol 13, Issue 2, p265

2167-6968

Academic Journal

10.1177/21676968241305653