The prevalence of technological addictions and related factors in university students

Year 2025, Issue: Advanced Online Publication, 291 - 299

Abdul Kadir Albayraktar , Nazım Ercüment Beyhun , Cansu Ağralı , Yusuf Emre Bostan , Murat Topbaş , Sevil Turhan , Aykut Karahan , Cilem Bilginer , Nihan Kalkandeler Özdin , Gizem Nur Şakar

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of new addictions in the literature emerging with technology and related factors in university students.
Methods: This cross-sectional study included 6,223 participants in three universities. The technological addictions assessed were internet addiction (IA), social media addiction (SMA), and internet gaming disorder (IGD). Independent variables included personal characteristics and the purpose and duration of internet use. Prevalence ratios were calculated and logistic regression test was used in multivariate analyses.
Results: The prevalence of IA, SMA, and IGD was 9.5%, 33.9%, and 2.4%, respectively. The risk of SMA was higher in women [odds ratio (OR) =0.85 95% confidence interval (CI) =0.75-0.98], IGD was higher in men (OR =2.00 95% CI =1.33-3.02). Spending more than four hours for per day on social media, playing games, watching movies or TV series,
shopping, communicating-chatting on the internet was a risk factor for internet addiction. Using social media more than four hours per day was a risk factor for SMA, and playing games more than four hours per day was a risk factor for IGD. Staying in a dormitory was a risk factor for technological addictions. The risk of technological addictions differed
between faculties.
Conclusion: There is a need for studies investigating the reasons for the differences in addiction results between faculties and places of residence. Since students' duration and purpose of internet use are risk factors for technological addictions, students can be informed about the rational use of technology.

Keywords

Internet addiction , Social media addiction , Internet gaming disorder , Prevalence , university students

Ethical Statement

Ethical approval was obtained from the Scientific Research Ethics Committee of KTU Faculty of Medicine (protocol no: 2021/371, date: 28.06.2022).

Supporting Institution

Karadeniz Technical University, Scientific Research Projects Coordination Unit

Project Number

TTU-2022-10005

Thanks

We would like to thank Karadeniz Technical University, Trabzon University, Avrasya University for providing the necessary permissions for the conduct of the research, and the researchers Behiye Şahbaz, Hilal Çankaya, Muhammet Enes Vural, Yeliz Dabağ, Sümeyra Yıldız, Betül Zeynep Ütük for supporting the collection of data.

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