Physical exercise and internet addiction among college students: Chain mediation of social anxiety and loneliness

The pathways through which physical activity affects internet addiction need to be further explored. We conducted a cross-sectional study across five universities in China, with 1,190 students who completed the Physical Activity Rating Scale, the Interactive Anxiety Scale, the UCLA Loneliness Scale, and the Revised Chen Internet Addiction Scale. The results of correlation and mediation analyses showed that physical exercise predicted internet addiction both directly, and indirectly through three paths: the independent mediating effect of social anxiety, the independent mediating effect of loneliness, and the chain mediating effect of social anxiety and loneliness. In practical application, attention should be paid to the effect of physical exercise on college students’ internet addiction, and the roles of social anxiety and loneliness should also be emphasized.