Examination of the effects of digital gaming addiction on students' behaviors before and during the pandemic through the media

The purpose of the study is to explore the effect of digital gaming addiction on students' behavior from the perspective of the media. For this purpose, television news, television programs and e-newspapers published between 2016-2020 were reviewed. This period covers the pre-pandemic and pandemic period. The document (media) analysis design, one of the qualitative research methods, was employed in the study. The data were obtained by using the keywords such as 'digital gaming addiction', 'technology addiction in children', 'digital addiction during the pandemic'. The topics covered in news, programs and e-newspapers are presented under separate headings, and inferences are made about digital gaming addiction's effects on behavioral. The study results revealed that the pandemic process increased students' digital gaming addiction and that television news, programs and e-newspapers reported that digital gaming addiction negatively affected students' behaviors. The most reported topics were recommendations to families about digital gaming addiction and the negative behaviors exhibited by the students.