The influence of digital addiction on adolescents’ subjective wellbeing: a meta-analysis

TL;DR

This study finds that digital addiction in adolescents is strongly linked to lower subjective well-being, highlighting the need for interventions.

Contribution

The paper provides a comprehensive meta-analysis of digital addiction's impact on adolescent well-being, identifying key moderating factors.

Findings

Digital addiction is significantly negatively correlated with subjective well-being in adolescents.

Region and study quality moderate the relationship between digital addiction and well-being.

High heterogeneity suggests variability in study results across contexts.

Abstract

This study aims to quantitatively and comprehensively evaluate the association between digital addiction (DA) and subjective well-being (SWB) in adolescents.

A comprehensive search was conducted across multiple electronic databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, EBSCO, Cochrane Library, CNKI, Wanfang, and VIP, to identify studies examining the correlation between DA and SWB in adolescents. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses were conducted to explore sources of heterogeneity and assess the robustness of the pooled estimates. Publication bias was evaluated using funnel plots, Begg’s and Egger’s tests, the PET–PEESE approach, and the trim-and-fill method.

This study was registered in PROSPERO (registration number: CRD420251014128). The meta-analysis included 17 studies comprising a total of 30,915 adolescents. A random-effects model was employed for the pooled analysis, which revealed a significant negative correlation between DA and SWB (Fisher’s Z = –0.30, 95% CI [−0.34, −0.27]). A high level of heterogeneity was observed (I2 = 86.6%). Subgroup analyses indicated that the association between DA and SWB was moderated by region and study quality, but not by sample size, publication year, DA subtype, or participant age.

DA is negatively correlated with SWB. Therefore, 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.

https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD420251014128, identifier PROSPERO (CRD420251014128).

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