Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to analyse the effects of TikTok use on young people’s affective experience during the pandemic. 174 adolescents responded to a questionnaire on TikTok use and nomophobia. In line with the Uses and Gratifications theory, the results showed that TikTok gratified the need for entertainment and escapism during the pandemic. The platform countered boredom, also offering digital consolation to the sense of loneliness. By substituting contact with the other by binge-scrolling, adolescents who were strongly attached to the smartphone-object risked losing themselves within the overwhelming world of TikTok, which became a true promoter of nomophobia during the pandemic.