Relationship between primary school students' screen addiction level and their academic achievement

The rapid proliferation of digital technologies today has significantly increased the time children spend in front of screens. This has brought the concept of "screen addiction," which refers to technology use at a level that may adversely affect individuals' daily lives, into the spotlight as a critical issue. The screen time children are exposed to during their developmental periods has the potential to affect not only their physical and psychological health but also their academic performance. In this context, examining the relationship between screen addiction and academic achievement constitutes a current and socially significant research area. The main aim of this study is to determine the direction and strength of the relationship between screen addiction levels and academic achievement among primary school students, and to investigate whether this relationship varies based on various socio-demographic variables. Although studies on children's use of digital technology have increased in the literature, research specifically focusing on primary school students remains limited. Particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, increased screen time has made the concept of screen addiction more prominent, raising questions about its potential impact on academic performance. This study includes 227 third and fourth grade students and their parents from Koyulhisar district of Sivas province during the 2023–2024 academic year. The research employed a quantitative method, specifically the correlational survey model. Stratified sampling was used to determine the study group. As data collection tools, a demographic information form prepared by the researcher, the Problematic Media Use Scale developed by Furuncu (2019), and the Mathematics Achievement Scale developed by Balcı (2019) were used. Data were analyzed using SPSS software, applying statistical methods such as correlation analysis, t-tests, and one-way ANOVA. The findings reveal that there is no significant relationship between students' screen addiction and their academic achievement. Furthermore, screen addiction does not significantly differ by school type, grade level, gender, family structure, income level, or father's educational background. However, the number of siblings and mother's educational level have a significant effect on screen addiction. Among media device users, students who primarily use computers scored higher in screen addiction compared to those using other devices. Additionally, parents' approach toward their child's screen use and their own screen time significantly influence children's level of screen addiction. From an academic achievement perspective, variables such as gender, family structure, income level, media device type, parental education, and screen time were not found to have a significant effect. The only variable that created a meaningful difference in academic achievement was grade level; fourth-grade students had significantly higher achievement scores than third graders. In conclusion, the study shows that the relationship between screen addiction and academic achievement is weak. However, certain familial and individual variables appear to play a determining role in screen addiction. Based on these findings, it is recommended that families adopt a supportive yet restrictive approach toward children's media use; teachers incorporate media literacy activities into their lessons; researchers explore the relationship between screen addiction and psychological well-being more deeply; and policymakers develop guidance-based media use education programs at the primary school level.