A new meta-analysis reports a significant negative association between digital addiction and subjective well‑being (SWB) among adolescents. The findings were published in Frontiers in Psychology.

“Excessive engagement in digital activities has been shown to exert substantial negative effects on physical and mental health, academic achievement, occupational functioning, and social skills, potentially leading to [digital addiction],” wrote Jinxin Zhou, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China, and colleagues. “This study aims to deepen the theoretical understanding of the relationship between [digital addiction] and adolescent SWB, while also providing insights to prevent and mitigate the negative effects of [digital addiction] on adolescents’ mental health.”

The review synthesized data from 17 studies including 30,915 participants. Researchers searched PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, EBSCO, Cochrane Library, CNKI, Wanfang, and VIP databases. Eligible studies measured associations between digital addiction and self‑reported SWB. The researchers used a random‑effects model to pool effect sizes.

Negative Association Identified

The meta-analysis revealed a statistically significant negative correlation between digital addiction and SWB (Fisher’s Z, –0.30; 95% CI, –0.34 to –0.27).

The researchers also found substantial heterogeneity (I²=86.6%; P<0.001), prompting subgroup and sensitivity analyses to explore potential moderators. According to the authors, regional differences and overall study quality influenced the strength of the association. In contrast, sample size, year of publication, subtype of digital addiction, and participant age did not appear to modify the correlation.

“The pooled effect sizes, after excluding each study, were primarily centered around −0.30, with confidence intervals remaining stable. This suggests that individual studies have limited impact on the overall results, indicating that the findings are relatively robust,” the researchers wrote.

The meta-analysis was limited by several factors, including lack of standardization in measurement tools and definitions of digital addiction. The analysis also relied on cross-sectional studies, resulting in potential for reverse causality and confounding factors.

Digital Addiction’s Impact

The researchers emphasized that digital addiction’s impact on adolescents is comparable to that of depression and anxiety. Compared to adolescents with little to no levels of digital addiction, those with digital addiction experience significantly lower life satisfaction and fewer positive emotional experiences.

Digital addiction is also associated with weaker family emotional support, declines in academic performance, and potential to expose adolescents to cyberbullying and harmful content—all of which can intensify psychological stress.

“It is essential to establish a comprehensive intervention framework that integrates family, school, societal, and individual efforts. This can be accomplished through transforming parenting practices within families, enhancing digital health literacy and psychological screening in schools, strengthening online supervision and accountability in society, and fostering self-directed learning skills among adolescents, ultimately improving their SWB.”

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