Purpose The use of mobile devices, such as to access social media, is pervasive in both private and work settings. It can lead to problematic behaviors, including social networking site addiction (SNSA) and digital stress (DS). To provide evidence on how SNSA and DS relate to employees, this research tests their associations with downstream variables across two cultures. Design/methodology/approach More than 700 German and Japanese employees completed an online survey. Multigroup structural equation modeling in AMOS tests the relationships between SNSA and digital stress and downstream variables. Findings Both SNSA and DS are linked to employee psychological strain, which is related to work performance and life satisfaction; work performance is also positively associated with life satisfaction. The negative relationship between strain and performance is more pronounced in Japan than in Germany. However, the other associations appear consistent across cultures, suggesting that SNSA and DS represent universal challenges for employees and organizations. Research limitations/implications This study includes German and Japanese employees. Continued research might address other countries (e.g. less-developed economies) and take a more differentiated view of employee occupations (e.g. low-vs. high-tech jobs). Practical implications Organizations must recognize the negative outcomes related to employees' excessive uses of social and digital media; develop ways to assess employees' SNSA and DS; and implement measures to conquer SNSA and DS. Originality/value In addition to reiterating the detrimental association of SNSA and DS with employees' perceived strain and two important downstream variables, this article adopts an explicitly cross-cultural approach to test these relationships.
Walsh et al. (2026) studied this question.