Assessment of Internet and Social Media Addiction Levels in Adolescents Aged 12-18 Years by Nurses: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study.

Abstract

Objective: This was a cross-sectional and descriptive study to determine the social media and Internet addiction levels of adolescents.

Design and methods: The data were collected between September and December 2023. A sociodemographic data collection form, The Social Media Addiction Scale for Adolescents, and The Internet Addiction Scale for Adolescents were used to collect data. An independent sample t-test was used to compare the mean differences between the two groups. A one-way ANOVA test was used to compare mean differences between multiple groups, and Pearson's correlation analysis was used to examine the relationships between quantitative variables and scale scores.

Results: No significant relationship was found between adolescents' gender and age and addiction levels (p > 0.05). On the other hand, addiction levels differed significantly by school type and district (p < 0.05). Students in selective schools and secondary schools had lower addiction levels, and those in open-admission high schools had higher addiction levels (p < 0.05). The highest level of addiction was found in Çankaya district and the lowest in Altındağ district. Daily online time and social media time increased addiction (p < 0.05). Safe Internet use and receiving support from nurses affected addiction levels (p < 0.05).

Conclusion: The results show that adolescents aged 12-18 years are at significant risk of social media and Internet addiction. Therefore, it is recommended that nurses support these young people, assess their risks, and identify specific tasks.