The vulnerable side of technology addiction: Pathways linking the Vulnerable Dark Triad to problematic smartphone and social media use

Across two cross-sectional studies, this research investigated the role of the Vulnerable Dark Triad – Factor II Psychopathy, Vulnerable Narcissism, and Borderline Personality – in Problematic Social Media Use (PSMU) and Problematic Smartphone Use (PSU) (Study 1), and examined whether PSMU functions as a bridge between this personality taxonomy and PSU (Study 2). In Study 1 ( N = 298 participants; Mage = 28.91, SDage = 10.33; 126 females) hierarchical regression analyses, controlling for sociodemographics, HEXACO dimensions, and Dark Tetrad personality traits, revealed that Factor II Psychopathy was the strongest and most consistent predictor of PSU and PSMU. Vulnerable Narcissism related more to PSU while Borderline Personality related more to PSMU. In Study 2 ( N = 586 participants; Mage = 31.70; SDage = 9.72; 313 females), mediation analyses, controlling for sociodemographics, HEXACO dimensions, and Dark Tetrad personality traits, showed that PSMU significantly mediated the effects of all facets of the Vulnerable Dark Triad on PSU, supporting a bridge effect from PSMU to a generalised PSU. These results have significant implications for theoretical and educational perspectives, underscoring the importance of integrating personality-based vulnerabilities into digital mental health frameworks.