Digital Addiction: Systematic Review of Computer Game Addiction Impact on Adolescent Physical Health

Phubbing and its impact on the individual's psychological well-being

Increasingly, smartphones have become a part of people's everyday lives, and are now considered by many to be an indispensable social accessory. Since attachment to a smartphone could have negative psychological consequences, a burgeoning new area of research has emerged which examines the effects of smartphones on individuals' well-being. Hence, this study focuses on phubbing - one's engagement with the smartphone during a face-to-face conversation with another person or group of people - and its association with psychological well-being. For this investigation, a quantitative descriptive approach has been adopted involving a sample of 370 women and men from Spain between 25 and 60 years old. The survey was distributed during late 2019 and the first quarter of 2020. The Phubbing Behaviors Survey was conducted, comprising five dimensions (cultural, technological, social, communicational, and psychological), and a total of 33 items requiring responses on a 5-point Likert scale. This survey was used in conjunction with the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28), consisting of four categories (somatic symptoms, social dysfunction, anxiety and insomnia, and severe depression), and 7 items per category. The findings reveal a positive correlation between phubbing and severe depression and, young women under 25 years old show higher levels of somatic symptoms than men in the same age group. This study demonstrates the need to raise awareness via health education and to promote healthy use of the Internet to prevent psychological distress resulting from phubbing.

Internet addiction and health-related quality of life in adolescents: The mediating role of sleep disturbance

BACKGROUND

Internet addiction (IA) has emerged as a recognized risk factor associated with impaired health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in adolescents. However, the role of sleep disturbance in this association remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the association of IA with HRQOL in Chinese adolescents and to evaluate the potential mediating role of sleep disturbance.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted among adolescents attending six randomly selected middle schools in Guangzhou, China. Adolescents self-reported their internet use using the Young Diagnostic Questionnaire. HRQOL and sleep disturbance were assessed by the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory version 4.0 and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, respectively. Multivariate linear regression analysis was employed to assess the association between IA and HRQOL. Baron and Kenny's causal steps method was used to examine the possible mediating role of sleep disturbance.

RESULTS

Of the 6473 adolescents included, 23.5% had maladaptive internet use (MIU) and 16.6% had pathological internet use (PIU). Compared to adolescents with adaptive internet use (AIU), those with IA had significantly lower scores across all HRQOL dimensions and summary scales. Mediation analysis revealed that sleep disturbance was a significant mediator. Specifically, sleep disturbance mediated 34.55% of the effects of MIU and 34.06% of the effects of PIU on the HRQOL total scale score , respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

IA was associated with poorer HRQOL, indicating the needs of preventing IA in Chinese adolescents. Additionally, our findings underscored the importance of enhancing sleep quality to mitigate the adverse impact of IA on adolescents' well-being.

ICT penetration and life expectancy in emerging market economies: panel evidence from asymmetric causality analysis

BACKGROUND

Life expectancy is a significant result indicator of public health and sustainable development. Therefore, one of the final objectives of all economic and social policies is to increase the life expectancy. In this context, a limited number of researchers have investigated the relationship between ICT penetration and life expectancy. However, multiple interaction channels exist between ICT penetration and life expectancy. Furthermore, the studies have usually focused on the effect of ICT penetration on life expectancy through regression and ignored the effect of life expectancy on ICT penetration to a large extent. Therefore, this study aims to contribute to the empirical literature by investigating the causal relationship between ICT indicators and life expectancy.

METHODS

This study uses symmetric and asymmetric causality approaches to investigate the two-way interaction between ICT indicators and life expectancy in emerging market economies over the 1997-2020 period. Employment of the asymmetric causality test enables us to analyze the hidden relationships between ICT indicators and life expectancy, unlike the traditional causality test.

RESULTS

The results of the symmetric causality test uncover a bidirectional causal interaction between mobile subscriptions and life expectancy but a one-way causal relationship from life expectancy to internet usage. However, the asymmetric causality test results uncover a unidirectional causal relationship between mobile subscriptions and life expectancy in China, Colombia, Czechia, Egypt, Greece, India, Kuwait and Turkiye due to positive shocks from mobile subscriptions. On the other hand, a bidirectional causal interaction exists between internet usage and life expectancy in all countries due to negative shocks from internet usage and life expectancy. Last, a unidirectional causal relationship exists between internet usage and life expectancy in all countries due to positive shocks from internet usage.

CONCLUSION

ICT indicators significantly influence life expectancy health in a sample of emerging market economies. Therefore, internet usage and mobile devices are significant tools to improve life expectancy.

Effects of active video games on physical activity among overweight and obese college students: a systematic review

Background

The purpose of this study was to critically review the existing literature on the effects of active video games (AVGs) on physical activity in overweight and obese college students to determine whether AVGs can promote and achieve recommended levels of physical activity. The results should provide constructive input for future research.

Methods

A total of five international databases including PubMed, SCOPUS, Web of Science, CINAHL Plus, and EBSCOhost were searched with keywords related to "active video games," "physical activity," and "obese college students" from July 2022. A systematic review was conducted using the PRISMA guidelines and randomised controlled trial (RCT) studies that met the inclusion criteria were included. Furthermore, the quality assessment of the studies was measured using the PEDro scale.

Results

One thousand and twenty-three articles were retrieved, of which eight randomised controlled trial studies met the inclusion criteria. AVGs can reduce sedentary behaviour and positively affect physical activity, time spent on moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), positive psychological factors, and game attendance rate. Combining AVGs with other assistive devices (such as mini-trampolines and stationary bikes) can enhance the effects of AVGs and provide greater physiological stimulation. Different types of AVGs and game modes can achieve different emotional responses, physiological stimulation, and physical activity levels.

Conclusion

The research findings prove that AVGs can be a viable intervention to increase physical activity in overweight or obese college students, ultimately reaching the recommended physical activity level(PAL). Physical activity can be further increased by incorporating assistive devices or using features supported by self-determination theory (SDT). As a new modality, AVGs could be a potential alternative to traditional physical activity.Systematic Review Registration:https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero, identifier: CRD42022363993.

The Effects of Digital Addiction on Brain Function and Structure of Children and Adolescents: A Scoping Review

The escalating prevalence of studies investigating digital addiction (DA) and its detrimental impact on the human brain's structure and functionality has been noticeable in recent years. Yet, an overwhelming majority of these reviews have been predominantly geared towards samples comprising college students or adults and have only inspected a single variant of DA, such as internet gaming disorder, internet addiction disorder, problematic smartphone use, tablet overuse, and so forth. Reviews focusing on young children and adolescents (ages 0-18), or those which amalgamate various types of DA, are decidedly scarce. Given this context, summarizing the effects of DA on brain structure and functionality during the vital developmental stage (0-18 years) is of immense significance. A scoping review, complying with the PRISMA extension for such reviews, was conducted to amalgamate findings from 28 studies spanning a decade (2013-2023) and to examine the influence of assorted forms of DA on the brains of children and adolescents (0-18 years). The synthesized evidence indicated two primary results: (1) DA exerts harmful effects on the structure and functionality of the brains of children and adolescents, and (2) the prefrontal lobe is the region most consistently reported as impacted across all research. Furthermore, this review discerned a notable void of studies investigating the neural indices of digital addiction, along with a shortage of studies focusing on young children (0-6 years old) and longitudinal evidence. This research could provide the necessary theoretical basis for the thwarting and intervention of digital addiction, a measure indispensable for ensuring healthy brain development in children and adolescents.

Relationship between gaming disorder across various dimensions among PUBG players: a machine learning-based cross-sectional study

Background

PlayerUnknown's battlegrounds (PUBG), a widely played multiplayer online game, has sparked interest and concern regarding its impact on players. This study explored the relationship between factors such as cultivation level, motivation, religious engagement, gaming disorder, and addiction among PUBG players.

Methods

This study employed a convenience sampling technique to select a sample of 500 PUBG players. An Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model was used to identify the primary factors contributing to the level of cultivation.

Results

Male participants exhibited a higher level of cultivation than their female counterparts did. According to the ANN model, gaming disorder exhibited the greatest normalized importance, with a value of 100%. This was followed by the religious level, which had a normalized importance of 54.6%. Additionally, motivation level and gaming addiction demonstrated normalized importance values of 47.6 and 44.4%, respectively. This study revealed a statistically significant correlation between engaging in PUBG and the cultivation effect observed among respondents.

Conclusion

This study highlights several noteworthy factors, including gaming disorder, religious affiliation, motivation level, and gaming addiction. These factors offer valuable insights into understanding gaming behavior and devising effective interventions.

Structural equation modeling analysis of risk factors for digital game addiction in adolescents: A web-based study

AIM

Digital game addiction warrants study as it has serious negative impacts on adolescents' lives. This study aims to examine digital game addiction in adolescents and its factors.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study sample consisted of 297 students among 2400 students enrolled in four high schools located in Turkey's Mediterranean region. Data were collected from the adolescents using the Digital Game Addiction Scale for Children between September and December 2021. The STROBE checklist was used for reporting.

RESULTS

The study found that adolescents who are male, who started playing digital games before the age of six, whose play is unlimited and unsupervised, who play for >10 h a day, who play digital games on the computer, and who do not participate in any other activities are the most at-risk group for digital addiction.

CONCLUSIONS

Starting to play digital games in early childhood, and having unlimited and unsupervised play increases the risk of digital game addiction. It is recommended that school-based intervention programs are designed to prevent and reduce digital game addiction. In this regard, awareness projects, involving teachers, adolescents, and parents should be planned.

A review of the effect of the light environment of the VDT workspace on the "learning to learn" effect of video game training

In recent years, the role of video games in enhancing brain plasticity and learning ability has been verified, and this learning transfer is known as the "learning to learn" effect of video game training. At the same time, against the background of healthy lighting, the influence of non-visual effects of light environment on the human rhythmic system has been gradually confirmed. As a special operation form of Visual Display Terminal (VDT) operation, video game training has a high dependence on VDT equipment and the VDT screen, and the background usually has a huge difference in brightness. Compared with the light environment of ordinary operation space, the light environment of VDT operation space is more complex. This complex light environment's non-visual effects cause human emotions, alertness, fatigue, cognitive ability, and other changes, which may affect the efficiency of the "learning to learn" effect of video game training. This article focuses on the impact of the light environment in the VDT workspace on the "learning to learn" effect of video game training. It first traces the factors that trigger the "learning to learn" effect of video game training, that is, the improvement of people's attention, perception, and cognitive ability. Then, the influencing mechanism and the evaluation method of the VDT workspace space light environment on the human rhythm system are discussed based on the basic theory of photobiological effect. In addition, the VDT display lighting light time pattern, photophysical properties, regulation, and protection mechanism on the human rhythm system are studied to demonstrate the VDT workspace light environment's special characteristics. Finally, combined with the progress of artificial lighting technology and the research results of health lighting, given the "learning to learn" effect of video game training, some thoughts on the design of the light environment of the workplace and future research directions are presented.

Examination of game addiction studies conducted in Turkey: A systematic review study

The aim of this study is to examine the methodological orientations in game addiction studies in Turkey between 2019 and 2022 in a holistic way and to present suggestions for new literature studies. For this purpose, only articles written in Turkish language were reviewed on Google Scholar. Open-access quantitative studies between 2019 and 2022 were included in our study. As a result, 69 out of 257 studies were found to comply with the predetermined criteria. The number of participants in these 69 studies, with a total sample size of 26,415, varies between 60 and 987. Almost half of the studies sample group is children (n = 36). The majority of the studies examine the relationship between academic achievement, familial and social relationship problems, gaming behavior and game addiction in children and adolescents. It was found that gaming addiction was higher in male students compared to female students, especially between the ages of 14-15. Among children, male students play digital games more than girls, and they mostly prefer action-adventure, war, and racing games. Previous studies have concluded that the use of consoles and smartphones in adolescents and young adults has a high impact on digital game addiction. In the light of the findings, it is suggested that empirical studies on game addiction should be addressed with different aspects using new literature studies.

Consumers' Opinions towards Public Health Effects of Online Games: An Empirical Study Based on Social Media Comments in China

Online game products have fueled the boom in China's digital economy. Meanwhile, its public health concerns have sparked discussion among consumers on social media. However, past research has seldom studied the public health topics caused by online games from the perspective of consumer opinions. This paper attempts to identify consumers' opinions on the health impact of online game products through non-structured text and large-size social media comments. Thus, we designed a natural language processing (NLP) framework based on machine learning, which consists of topic mining, multi-label classification, and sentimental analysis. The hierarchical clustering method-based topic mining procedure determines the compatibility of this study and previous research. Every three topics are identified in "Personal Health Effects" and "Social Health Effects", respectively. Then, the multi-label classification model's results show that 61.62% of 327,505 comments have opinions about the health effects of online games. Topics "Adolescent Education" and "Commercial Morality" occupy the top two places of consumer attention. More than 31% of comments support two or more topics, and the "Adolescent Education" and "Commercial Morality" combination also have the highest co-occurrence. Finally, consumers expressed different emotional preferences for different topics, with an average of 63% of comments expressing negative emotions related to the health attributes of online games. In general, Chinese consumers are most concerned with adolescent education issues and hold the strongest negative emotion towards the commercial morality problems of enterprises. The significance of research results is that it reminds online game-related enterprises to pay attention to the potential harm to public health while bringing about additional profits through online game products. Furthermore, negative consumer emotions may cause damage to brand image, business reputation, and the sustainable development of the enterprises themselves. It also provides the government supervision departments with an advanced analysis method reference for more effective administration to protect public health and promote the development of the digital economy.

Risk factors and outcomes of internet gaming disorder identified in Korean prospective adolescent cohort study

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Internet gaming disorder (IGD) is known to cause various psychological and physical complications. Through data collected from an adolescent prospective longitudinal cohort, we examined how IGD is related to lifestyle and physical symptoms, as well as the temporal relationship between them.

METHODS

This study was conducted as part of iCURE (Internet user Cohort for Unbiased Recognition of gaming disorder in Early Adolescence) in Korea between 2015 and 2019. Sleep and physical activity time, dry eye symptoms, musculoskeletal pain, and near-miss accidents were measured at baseline and followed-up after one year. IGD risk was evaluated using the Internet Game Use - Elicited Symptom Screen (IGUESS). The association between IGD risk and measured variables was analyzed, both at baseline and at follow-up after one year.

RESULTS

At baseline, the IGD risk group had significantly less physical activity time and sleep time and had more dry eye symptoms, musculoskeletal pain, and near-miss accidents than the IGD non-risk group. Additionally, in the IGD risk group at baseline, dry eye symptoms, musculoskeletal pain, and near-miss accidents occurred significantly more after one year of follow-up.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

The results of this study show that IGD is a significant risk factor that increases the probability of physical disease and trauma in adolescents. Therefore, interventions aimed at reducing IGD risk and protecting the physical and mental health of adolescents are imperative.

Internet addiction and child physical and mental health: Evidence from panel dataset in China

BACKGROUND

The number of internet users has increased substantially in the last decade and these increasing rates of internet use also apply to children. Children usually have poorer self-control and poorer cognition than college-age populations or adults, the impact of Internet addiction on the health of this group has important implications not only for their individual economic and social outcomes but also the future human capital development in China.

METHODS

We use data from the 2016 and 2018 China Family Panel Survey, a survey that collected data from a large and nationally representative sample of the Chinese population, to construct a sample of children from 25 provinces, and then use DID and PSM-DID methods to investigate whether Internet addiction (increased screen time in this article) impacts the physical and mental health of children (ages 10-15) in China.

RESULTS

Internet addiction has a significant negative impact on child physical and mental health. The mediating effect model shows that Internet addiction impairs child physical and mental health by reducing their sleep and exercise time. The heterogeneity analysis shows that, Internet addiction has a stronger negative effect on urban children than rural children. Additionally, Internet addiction has a significant correlation with the mental health of left-behind children (LBC), but not children living with both parents (CLP).

LIMITATIONS

Our research has several weaknesses. First, this article uses time spent online to measure Internet addiction and this measurement method is not perfect. Also, given that the sample is made up of only Chinese children, conclusions about generalizability remain tentative. Future studies should be conducted in other countries.

CONCLUSION

This study systematically studied the effects of Internet addiction on the physical and mental health of Chinese children. This study can help government leaders make targeted programs to prevent children from Internet addiction in the future, especially to reduce internet dependence among students.

Understanding Adolescents' Perceptions and Aspirations Towards Their Relationship With Personal Technology: Survey Study

BACKGROUND

Understanding adolescents' relationship with technology is a pressing topic in this digital era. There seem to be both beneficial and detrimental implications that originate from use of technology by adolescents. Approximately 95% of adolescents have access to a smartphone, and several studies show a positive correlation between screen addiction and trends of anxiety and depression. At the same time, research shows that two-thirds of adolescents believe that technology is a necessity for connecting and making new friends.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this formative study was to understand adolescents' perception of their own and others' relationship with personal technology.

METHODS

A survey was conducted with 619 adolescents ranging in age from 13 to 19 years. Adolescents were asked how they perceived the relationship with their personal technology, how they perceived others' (parents, siblings, or friends) relationship with personal technology, and how they wish to relate to their personal technology in the future.

RESULTS

"Essential," "Distractive," and "Addictive" were the most commonly selected descriptors to describe both adolescents' own relationship with technology (essential: 106/619, 17.1%; distractive: 105/619, 17%; addictive: 88/619, 14.2% ) and others' relationship as well (essential: 96/619, 15.6%; distractive: 88/619, 14.3%; addictive: 90/619, 14.5%). Adolescents selected "Provides an escape" more to describe their own relationship with technology. Whereas, they selected "It's just a tool" and "Creates Barrier" more to describe others' relationship with technology. These trends are consistent across ages and genders. In addition, adolescents' aspirations for their relationship with their personal technology varied across ages: 13 to 15-year olds' top choice was "best friend", 16 to 17-year olds' top choice was "I don't believe in personal connection with mobile technology," and 18 to 19-year olds' top choice was "My personal assistant."

CONCLUSIONS

Our 3-lens method allows us to examine how adolescents perceive their relationship with personal technology in comparison to others, as well as their future technological aspirations. Our findings suggest that adolescents see both communalities as well as differences in their own and others' relationships with technology. Their future aspirations for personal technology vary across age and gender. These preliminary findings will be examined further in our follow-up research.

Evaluation of the Psychometric Properties of the Chinese Internet Gaming Disorder Checklist (C-IGDC) Among Chinese Adolescents

As the first DSM-5 based, multidimensional screening tool of Internet gaming disorder (IGD) designed for Chinese gamers, the Chinese Internet Gaming Disorder Checklist (C-IGDC) has shown satisfactory psychometric properties among Chinese young adults. Given the high vulnerability to IGD among adolescents, the present study aimed to examine the applicability of C-IGDC to Chinese adolescents to address shortfalls in the existing literature regarding the assessment of adolescent IGD screening. Through a two-stage sampling method in a cross-sectional survey, we obtained a sample of 1,253 Chinese past-year adolescent gamers (43.8% female; M _age = 14.49 years, SD _age = 1.60 years) from local junior or senior high schools in Macao, China for data analysis. Our results confirmed a good model fit of the original two-level, nine-subfactor structure of the 27-item C-IGDC, and indicated adequate internal consistency and test-retest reliability, as well as good concurrent validity as evidenced by expected associations with IGD functioning impairments, gameplay characteristics, and depressive symptoms. An optimal screening cutoff score (≥20) was proposed to identify probable disordered gamers among Chinese adolescents with past-year gaming experience. The findings support the extended use of C-IGDC to Chinese adolescents as a reliable and valid assessment tool for evaluating IGD severity levels and screening for probable IGD cases. Its use can facilitate a proper screening procedure for probable IGD cases in both school and clinical settings.