Low empathy is associated with problematic use of the Internet: Empirical evidence from China and Germany

•The present study investigates empathy and problematic use of the Internet.•Low empathy is associated with more problematic use of the Internet.•We present data from Germany and China with converging evidence.

As empathy has not been investigated in the context of problematic use of the Internet, we conducted a study to test for a potential link. In samples from China (N = 438) and Germany (N = 202), two self-report measures for empathic behavior and one self-report measure for problematic Internet use (PIU) were administered in adolescents/students. Across both cultures lower empathy was associated with more PIU. The present study underlines the importance to take into account empathy related questionnaires for a better understanding of Internet overuse in the future.