Impact of Social Media Addiction on Work-Life Balance: Mediating Role of Technostress

Abstract

The present study examined the impact of social media addiction on employees’ work–life balance, with technostress serving as a mediating variable. In the digital era, the pervasive use of social media has blurred the boundaries between personal and professional life, raising concerns about its psychological and occupational consequences. A sample of 300 working adults from diverse sectors, including IT, education, healthcare, and corporate organizations, participated in the study through standardized self-report measures: the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale, Technostress Creators Scale, and Work–Life Balance Scale. Correlational analyses revealed that social media addiction was positively associated with technostress and negatively correlated with work–life balance. Regression analyses confirmed that technostress significantly mediated the relationship between social media addiction and work–life balance, indicating that excessive and compulsive social media use leads to increased technostress, which in turn deteriorates balance between work and personal life. The findings highlight the psychological strain of digital dependency and underscore the importance of promoting healthy technology use within organizational contexts. Implications for workplace policy, employee well-being interventions, and directions for future research are discussed.