IntroductionFear of missing out (FOMO) has been increasingly linked to social-evaluative concerns and approval-seeking motivations, yet the psychological mechanisms underlying these associations remain insufficiently modeled. The present study examined the mediating role of need for social approval in the relationships between fear of negative evaluation (FNE), perceived social competence, and FOMO among emerging adults.MethodsData were collected from 365 university students (aged 18–23) in Türk