Clarifying the Association Between Digital Media Engagement and Risk Taking.

In two cross-sectional studies, we examined the association between smartphone and social media use (SSMU) and risk-taking behavior, focusing on the psychological mechanisms and dimensions of media engagement that may underlie this relationship. In Study 1, we tested whether individual differences in impulsivity, reward sensitivity, and exploratory tendencies accounted for associations between SSMU and multiple forms of risk taking, and whether engagement with more socially interactive platforms differentially related to risk behavior. Results showed that risk taking was associated with SSMU above and beyond specific psychological traits. Negative low-stakes risk taking emerged as the strongest and most consistent correlate of SSMU, and this association was stronger for use of more highly socially interactive platforms. In Study 2, these analyses were conceptually replicated in a larger sample spanning adolescent and young adult cohorts. Across developmental stages, risk taking, particularly involving low-stakes negative risks, remained a robust correlate of SSMU, whereas associations with dispositional traits varied by age group. Together, these findings suggest that SSMU is uniquely linked to everyday forms of risk taking in ways that are not fully captured by broader dispositional traits.