Abstract
This study examines the association between meaning in life and smartphone addiction among vulnerable children in China, alongside the moderating role of satisfaction with social work services. Utilizing propensity score matching on a random sample of 1025 vulnerable children from City A, the analysis revealed an unexpected paradox: a higher level of meaning in life was significantly associated with increased smartphone addiction. This reflects a “high aspiration-low opportunity” mismatch, wherein vulnerable children with high internal agency turn to digital environments as a compensatory space when real-world support is deficient. Crucially, moderation analysis demonstrated that high satisfaction with social work services significantly buffered the association. These results suggest that high-quality social work services can act as a vital social conversion factor, successfully reactivating the protective function of meaning in life. Consequently, effectively combating smartphone addiction requires a practical transition from isolated psychological support to a comprehensive formal support system.