The relationship between internet gaming disorder, social media addiction and possible depression level in adolescents

Aim: The aim of the present study is to draw attention to an increasingly important public health problem; to examine the relationship of possible depression level variable with internet gaming disorder and social media addiction in high school students. Material and Method: The research was carried out in accordance with the relational screening model. The research population consisted of students enrolled in the educational program in various high schools in the district of Yeşilyurt of the city of Malatya in 2021-2022 academic year. The research population consisted of 420 students. The scales used in the study were Internet Gaming Disorder Scale, Social Media Addiction Scale for Adolescents, Kovacs Depression Scale, as well as personal information form for socio-demographic and familial characteristics. The data obtained in the research were analyzed using the SPSS 25 package program and the AMOS 24.0 package program. Before the analysis, the normality test was performed and it was concluded that the data were normally distributed. In the first stage, independent groups were tested with T-tests and then analyzed with one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) tests. Results: It was found that the possible depression level variable has a mediating role in the relationship between internet gaming disorder and social media addiction in adolescents. According to the results of the SEM analysis, it was found that the fit indices of the tested model were at an acceptable level (χ2/sd=1.884; RMSEA=.046; GFI=.901; AGFI=.884; CFI=.970; IFI=.971). Conclusion: It was determined that there is a synergistic interaction with Internet gaming disorder and social media addiction. This interaction is found to be common and increases the risk of developing depression. It was also found that depressive mood also increases online game playing. We can say that it is important to take precautions to prevent addiction due to internet use in adolescents and that it will have a positive effect on preventing the risk of depression.