TY - JOUR
T1 - The impact of heavy and disordered use of games and social media on adolescents' psychological, social, and school functioning
AU - Van Den Eijnden, Regina
AU - Koning, Ina
AU - Doornwaard, Suzan
AU - Van Gurp, Femke
AU - Bogt, Tom Ter
PY - 2018/1/1
Y1 - 2018/1/1
N2 - Aim: To extend the scholarly debate on (a) whether or not the compulsive use of games and social media should be regarded as behavioral addictions (Kardefelt-Winther et al., 2017) and (b) whether the nine DSM-5 criteria for Internet gaming disorder (IGD; American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2013) are appropriate to distinguish highly engaged, non-disordered users of games and socialmedia from disordered users, this study investigated the impact of engaged and disordered use of games and social media on the psychosocial well-being and school performances of adolescents. Methods: As part of the Digital Youth Project of the University of Utrecht, a three-wave longitudinal sample of 12- to 15-year-old adolescents (N = 538) was utilized. Three annual online measurements were administered in the classroom setting, including IGD, social media disorder, life satisfaction, and perceived social competence. Schools provided information on students' grade point average. Results: The symptoms of disordered use of games and social media showed to have a negative effect on adolescent's life satisfaction, and the symptoms of disordered gaming showed a negative impact on adolescents' perceived social competence. On the other hand, heavy use of games and social media predicted positive effects on adolescents' perceived social competence. However, the heavy use of social media also predicted a decrease in school performances. Several gender differences in these outcomes are discussed. Conclusion: The findings propose that symptoms of disordered use of games and social media predict a decrease in the psychosocial well-being and school performances of adolescents, thereby meeting one of the core criteria of behavioral addictions.
AB - Aim: To extend the scholarly debate on (a) whether or not the compulsive use of games and social media should be regarded as behavioral addictions (Kardefelt-Winther et al., 2017) and (b) whether the nine DSM-5 criteria for Internet gaming disorder (IGD; American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2013) are appropriate to distinguish highly engaged, non-disordered users of games and socialmedia from disordered users, this study investigated the impact of engaged and disordered use of games and social media on the psychosocial well-being and school performances of adolescents. Methods: As part of the Digital Youth Project of the University of Utrecht, a three-wave longitudinal sample of 12- to 15-year-old adolescents (N = 538) was utilized. Three annual online measurements were administered in the classroom setting, including IGD, social media disorder, life satisfaction, and perceived social competence. Schools provided information on students' grade point average. Results: The symptoms of disordered use of games and social media showed to have a negative effect on adolescent's life satisfaction, and the symptoms of disordered gaming showed a negative impact on adolescents' perceived social competence. On the other hand, heavy use of games and social media predicted positive effects on adolescents' perceived social competence. However, the heavy use of social media also predicted a decrease in school performances. Several gender differences in these outcomes are discussed. Conclusion: The findings propose that symptoms of disordered use of games and social media predict a decrease in the psychosocial well-being and school performances of adolescents, thereby meeting one of the core criteria of behavioral addictions.
KW - adolescents
KW - consequences
KW - game addiction
KW - psychosocial well-being
KW - school functioning
KW - social media addiction
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85054101831&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1556/2006.7.2018.65
DO - 10.1556/2006.7.2018.65
M3 - Article
C2 - 30264607
AN - SCOPUS:85054101831
SN - 2062-5871
VL - 7
SP - 697
EP - 706
JO - Journal of Behavioral Addictions
JF - Journal of Behavioral Addictions
IS - 3
ER -