he field of internet addiction has experienced significant debates on conflicting epidemiology. This meta-analysis investigated the prevalence rates of generalized internet addiction (GIA) and internet gaming disorder (IGD).
We included 113 epidemiologic studies covering 693,306 subjects published from 1996 to 2018 (for 31 nations) that reported prevalence rates for GIA or IGD. We examined pooled prevalence of GIA and IGD and the hypothesized moderators including year, geographic regions, types of scales, and sample representativeness.
All 133 effect sizes included 53,184 subjects with GIA or IGD. Weighted average prevalence for GIA and IGD were 7.02 % (95 % CI, 6.09 %–8.08 %) and 2.47 % (95 % CI, 1.46 %–4.16 %) respectively. For GIA, prevalence was increased over time and prevalence rates variated among different scales. IGD prevalence was neither moderated by year, regions, nor sample representativeness.
The prevalence of GIA was higher than the prevalence of IGD. The GIA prevalence was increasing over time and variated with different assessments. Our results reveal that GIA may reflect a pattern of increasing human-machine interaction.
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A study has found screen use for children is linked to long-term problems with attention, self-control and planning. The University of Auckland study - which pulled together research from around the world - found 81 percent of 58 studies showed at least one negative link between screen use and the brain's executive function, or management system.
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The UK will go further to protect kids with world-leading additional restrictions on harmful features online such as live streaming and strangers communicating with children. Social media platforms will be blocked from offering services to under-16s, marking a line in the sand and setting a new normal for future generations.
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The Australian government has announced it will double the maximum penalty for breaches of the nation's social media minimum age law to $99m (£51.7m). As part of the updated legislation, the eSafety Commissioner will also be able to compel social media companies to provide evidence of what steps they have taken to comply with the ban.
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