Although problematic mobile app usage and its correlated negative consequences have become increasingly prevalent, little detailed attention was specially paid to the antecedents of problematic mobile app use and declined educational attainment. This current research employs the stress-strain-outcome (SSO) theoretical framework to thoroughly and systematically explore pathways through which depressive mood and self-disclosure lead to university students' perceived information and social overload, and ultimately, declined educational attainment. Methodologically, the article employed a cross-sectional research approach to collect data from university students (N = 898) and analyzed data through structural equation modeling. The findings reveal that university students' depressive mood and self-disclosure significantly affect information overload, social overload and problematic mobile app use. In addition, problematic mobile app use can directly result in students' declined educational attainment. Furthermore, the study confirms that social overload can mediate the linkage between self-disclosure and problematic mobile app use. This research may add to the existing literature on the possible negative aspects of mobile technologies by providing a framework for further understanding problematic usage and providing insight into various factors that lead to and are affected by such use. The findings also imply that future researchers should delve more into the ways in which university students' personalities and environmental circumstances, such cognitive overload, shape their mobile app use experiences.