New Tool Developed to Assess Digital Addiction in Children

Importance of Digital Devices

Digital devices, including tablets, smartphones, and game consoles, have become integral to various aspects of life. They are widely used for communication, entertainment, and educational purposes. Notably, children are increasingly engaging with these devices from a young age, often playing video games or participating in social media activities. This trend has highlighted an urgent need for effective tools to evaluate the risk of digital addiction among children.

Research Study Overview

A recent study published in *Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking* aimed to create a tool for assessing digital addiction in children. Researchers recruited over 800 children, aged 9 to 12, from across Lebanon. They developed the Digital Addiction Scale for Children (DASC) to analyze children’s behaviors related to their use of digital devices.

Digital Addiction Scale for Children (DASC)

The DASC is a self-reporting survey consisting of 25 items, allowing participants to respond independently. To validate this tool, the researchers utilized the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS-30). The DASC was structured upon nine diagnostic criteria for addiction and aligned with six core addiction criteria: preoccupation, tolerance, withdrawal, mood modification, conflict, and relapse. Additionally, three more criteria were included: problems, deception, and displacement.

Criteria for Assessment

The “problems” criterion addresses essential life aspects that can become problematic due to digital addiction, such as sleep issues, parental conflicts, financial management, and academic performance. The “deception” criterion refers to instances where children may mislead parents about their digital activities or the time spent on devices. Lastly, “displacement” highlights the emotional disconnect that can occur within families due to excessive digital engagement.

Findings of the Study

The study revealed that over 12% of participants are at risk of digital addiction. The consistent results indicate that the DASC is a valid and reliable tool for evaluating the risk of digital addiction in children. Dr. Wiederhold, the Editor-in-Chief, noted that clinicians could find DASC beneficial for identifying patients at risk of problematic internet use and gaming disorders, allowing them to address factors that could harm child and adolescent health.

Conclusion

Researchers concluded that the DASC could pave the way for further investigations into digital addiction among children from diverse cultural and contextual backgrounds.

References

Hawi, N.S., Samaha, M., and Griffiths, M.D. (2019). The Digital Addiction Scale for Children: Development and Validation. *Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking*. doi: 10.1089/cyber.2019.0132

New tool to assess digital addiction in children. (2019, December 9). Retrieved from https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-12/mali-nt120919.php

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