SynthesisJournal of behavioral addictions2022
Prevalence of internet addiction in Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Journal of behavioral addictions, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 20 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
20 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Impact of digital addiction on youth health: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of behavioral addictions · 2025Pooled it
- Relationship between online social support and problematic internet use: a three-level meta-analysis.BMC psychology · 2025Pooled it
- The Worldwide Prevalence of Internet Addiction among Medical Students: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2024Pooled it
- Effectiveness of WeChat Public Account Intervention Based on the Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills Model Among College Students With Internet Addiction: Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Trial
- Psychosocial and cultural dynamics shaping substance use and internet fraud among Nigerian youths.Discover mental health · 2026Article
- A twenty-year retrospective analysis of substance use with recent behavioral addiction indicators (social media, gaming, gambling) among school-going adolescents in Morocco.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Behavioral addictions in Africa: Emerging trends, challenges, and policy implications.Journal of behavioral addictions · 2026Review
- Assessment of association between problematic internet use and overweight and obesity among in school adolescents in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.BMC nutrition · 2026Article
- Comparing the Associations of Internet Addiction and Internet Gaming Disorder With Psychopathological Symptoms: Cross-Sectional Study of Three Independent Adolescent Samples.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Article
- The effect of bullying victimization on internet addiction: mediated by cyberbullying perpetration and moderated by social support.BMC public health · 2025Article
- The association between bedtime smartphone use and anxiety symptoms: a network analysis of Chinese residents.BMC psychiatry · 2025Article
- Mediating attentional control between depression and problematic Internet use in female adolescents: the role of attentional focusing and shifting.Archives of women's mental health · 2025Article
- The Moderated Mediating Effects of Social Media Identity and Loneliness on the Relationship Between Problematic Internet Use and Mental Health in China: Nationwide Cross-Sectional Questionnaire Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Article
- TikTok war humor: social and psychological functions of humor videos by micro-influencers and ordinary users during conflict.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Article
- Personality Traits and Internet Addiction among Adolescent Students: The Moderating Role of Family Functioning.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2024Article
- Contextual adaptation of digital wellbeing interventions for young people: insights from a project in Saudi Arabia.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2024Article
- Internet addiction, social phobia, substance abuse, and depression in the university setting: a cross-sectional study in the southern region of Morocco.Frontiers in psychology · 2024Article
- Alcohol and khat dual use among male adults in Ethiopia: A multilevel multinomial analysis.PloS one · 2023Article
- The Impact of Mental Health Predictors of Internet Addiction among Pre-Service Teachers in Ghana.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Prevalence of Internet Addiction and Its Associated Factors Among Undergraduate Students at the University of Botswana: A Cross-Sectional Study.Inquiry : a journal of medical care organization, provision and financingArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background and aim: In the last two decades, the proportion of internet users has greatly increased worldwide. Data regarding internet addiction (IA) are lacking in Africa compared to other continents. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to estimate the pooled prevalence of IA in African countries. Methods: We systematically sought relevant articles in PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO and Cochrane database published before September 25, 2021. The risk of bias was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute tool, and we estimated the pooled prevalence of IA using a random-effects meta-analytic model. We followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses guidelines. Results: We included 22 studies (13,365 participants), and collected data from Egypt, Ethiopia, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania and Tunisia between 2013 and 2021. The mean age of participants ranged from 14.8 to 26.1 years, and the most used tool for IA screening was the Young's 20-item Internet Addiction Test. The pooled prevalence rate of IA was 40.3% (95% CI: 32.2%-48.7%), with substantial heterogeneity. The pooled prevalence for Northern Africa was 44.6% (95% CI: 32.9%-56.7%), significantly higher than the prevalence in sub-Saharan Africa, which was 31.0% (95% CI: 25.2%-37.1%). The risk of bias was moderate for most studies, the certainty was very low, and we found no publication bias. Discussion and conclusions: Four in every ten individuals was considered to have IA in Africa. Further research with methodological optimization seems needed, especially for IA screening tools and the representativity of some subregions.
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