Investigation of the effect of digital addiction levels of primary school 4th grade students on their social skill levels

As a result of the uncontrolled use of digital devices in different areas of life, some negative physical, mental and social consequences may occur with digital addiction. In this context, it is important to reveal the relationship between digital addiction and social skills. The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between Digital Addiction Levels and Social Skill Levels of Primary School 4th Grade Students. In addition, students' digital addiction levels and social skill levels were compared in terms of various variables such as gender, having a technological device and the number of siblings. In this study, which was prepared by using the relational survey model, one of the quantitative research models, the sample of the research consists of 1262 primary school 4th grade students in the central districts of Mersin. Data is collected through appropriate sampling. "Digital Addiction Scale for Children" developed by Hawi, Samaha and Griffiths (2019) and "Social Skill Scale" developed by Kocayörük (2000) were used as data collection tools. In data analysis, using SPSS 22 and Amos 21, the participants' levels of digital dependency and social skills were determined. The correlation coefficient was calculated for the relationship between digital addiction and social skill levels. Considering the findings of the study, a moderate negative relationship was determined between the digital addiction of primary school 4th grade students and their social skill levels. It was concluded that the levels of digital dependency of male students participating in the study were higher than those of girls. Moreover, it has been determined that the social skills levels of female students are higher than those of male students. According to findings of the study, it can be interpreted that especially at primary school level, students may encounter problems in terms of social skills as their digital addiction levels increase.