The predictive power of game addiction and social media addiction on adolescents' lifestyle

Abstract

This study was conducted as a descriptive and cross-sectional study to examine the effects of game addiction and social media addiction on the lifestyle of Turkish adolescents. The study was conducted between May to June 2022, involved 1116 adolescents in the 13-18 age group receiving education in three high schools situated in the Western region of Turkey. Data were collected online with the Descriptive Information Form, Game Addiction Scale Short Form for Adolescents (GAS), Social Media Addiction Scale for Adolescents (SMAS), and Adolescent Lifestyle Profile Scale (ALP). Mean, percentage, t test, analysis of variance and linear regression analysis were used for analyzing data. There was a statistically significant difference between the presence of social media accounts and smartphones, duration of having social media account, average time spent daily on social media accounts and virtual games, social media use characteristics for the last 6 months, interests of influencers followed on social media, affection by influencers, and effect of social media on daily life and the mean scores on GAS, SMAS, and ALP. It was determined that game addiction and social media addiction explained 61.8% of the lifestyles of adolescents and significantly affected them. In addition, social media use characteristics, game addiction, and social media addiction explain and significantly predict the lifestyle of adolescents at a rate of 62.8%. The results of the study reveal that game addiction and social media addiction is a significant predictor of Turkish adolescents' lifestyle. It can be recommended to provide trainings that shed light on the importance of efficient use of technology to adolescents and their parents and to evaluate the effectiveness of these trainings.