The Relationship Between Emotional Regulation and Problematic Internet Use: A Literature Review

This review aims at exploring how problematic Internet use (PIU) and emotional regulation (ER) affect each other. The focus was on studies from 2010 to 2025, retrieved through Google Scholar, PubMed, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and Scopus. The evidence shows a complex relationship. People who have difficulties in emotion regulation are more likely to develop PIU, and in return, problematic internet use can make emotion regulation more difficult. Common deficits include poor impulse control, low distress tolerance, and using the Internet to avoid negative feelings. Over time, this can reinforce avoidance, limit chances to build healthy coping skills, and in some cases affect brain areas involved in mood regulation. Several factors influence this relationship, such as anxiety, depression, loneliness, impulsivity, interpersonal guilt, family relationships, and social support. Different subtypes of PIU, like problematic use of social media, online shopping, dating apps, and compulsive news checking, show different links to emotional difficulties. Most research relies on self-report, uses different definitions and measurement tools, and often looks at specific cultural groups, which makes comparisons harder.