Navigating Emotions And Screens: Emotional Intelligence As The Key To A Balanced Digital Life For Teens

This study investigates the relationship between emotional intelligence, problem-atic social media use, and image-related activities on social media among adolescents. Con-ducted with 1109 students from Italian lower secondary schools, the research employs ques-tionnaires to assess emotional intelligence, problematic social mediause, and image-related activitieson social media. The findings reveal a significant negative correlation between emotional intelligenceand problematic social media use and. It also found that adolescent who report high propensity to have image-centred interactions on social media are at a greater risk for developing social media addiction. Furthermore, the study identifies image-related activities as a partial mediator between emotional intelligence and problematic social media use. The paper concludes with recommendations for promoting healthier patterns of use, and interventions aimed at promoting emotional intelligence skills to mitigate potential harms associated with social media platforms