ABSTRACT
Recent research has revealed the mental health impacts of climate change, known as climate anxiety. Moreover, spreading information through social media can increase anxiety, including climate change anxiety. However, there is limited research on the effect of social media use on climate anxiety. This study aimed to examine the influence of social media use on climate anxiety among emerging adults. This study used a cross-sectional design collected among men (n = 55) and women (n = 225) emerging adults. Participants completed a self-administered questionnaire comprising demographic characteristics, a Social Media Use Integration scale, and a Climate Anxiety scale. Data were analyzed using the Simple Linear Regression technique. Results showed that social media use significantly influenced climate anxiety among emerging adults. In other words, higher social media use will directly increase climate anxiety. These findings provide substantial theoretical and practical implications for understanding climate anxiety, especially in the digital era.
