# Impact of health education on internet addiction, internet use time, and social media addiction in adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis

## TL;DR

This study reviews how health education affects internet and social media addiction in adolescents, finding it effective in reducing internet addiction and use time.

## Contribution

The study provides a systematic review and meta-analysis of health education interventions for adolescent internet and social media addiction.

## Key findings

- Health education interventions significantly reduced internet addiction with a large effect size.
- Interventions involving parents or focusing solely on adolescents showed significant results.
- Evidence for reducing social media addiction was limited.

## Abstract

Internet and social media addiction have become a health problem due to their negative impact on health and well-being. Internet use time is also frequently examined as an outcome, offering complementary insight into usage patterns. Health education is a key tool during adolescence to promote healthy behaviours, supporting self-regulation and fostering healthier patterns of Internet and social media use. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of health education interventions for reducing Internet addiction, Internet use time, and social media addiction among adolescents.

We conducted a systematic review with meta-analysis following PRISMA guidelines. Eligible studies were experimental or quasi-experimental designs involving adolescents and evaluating health education interventions, with outcomes on Internet addiction, Internet use time, or social media addiction. A search was conducted in Medline, WoS, Scopus, CINAHL, PsycINFO and PubMed Central. Study selection, data extraction, and synthesis were performed independently by pairs of researchers. To evaluate risk of bias, the Cochrane Collaboration’s tool was used for randomised studies, and ROBINS-I for non-randomised studies. Certainty of evidence was assessed with GRADE.

Sixteen studies with 13,562 participants were included in the systematic review. Six were included in the meta-analysis for Internet addiction. Most interventions were conducted in educational settings, with participants showing variability in their Internet use patterns across studies. Across studies, observed characteristics included group delivery and participatory approaches, parental involvement, promotion of healthier Internet use, and inclusion of broader educational content addressing health-promotion topics. The review found generally favourable effects on Internet addiction and Internet use time. Evidence on social media addiction was limited. The meta-analysis for Internet addiction showed a statistically significant difference in favour of the intervention, with a large effect size (SMD = − 1.88; 95% CI [− 2.64, − 1.11], p < 0.00001). Subgroup analysis showed a large and significant effect in adolescent only interventions (SMD = − 1.93; 95% CI [− 2.84, − 1.02], p < 0.0001) and in parent involved interventions (SMD = − 1.81; 95% CI [− 2.95, − 0.68], p = 0.002).

Health education shows promise for reducing Internet addiction and Internet use time among adolescents. Evidence on social media addiction remains limited.

The study protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42024568029).