ReviewCureus2023
A Systematic Review of the Association of Internet Gaming Disorder and Excessive Social Media Use With Psychiatric Comorbidities in Children and Adolescents: Is It a Curse or a Blessing?
Review in Cureus, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
19 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Review: Social media use and adolescent mental health - an umbrella review and power analysis.Child and adolescent mental health · 2026Pooled it
- Concurrent Associations of Gaming Time and Problematic Gaming with Depressive Symptoms in Children and Adolescents: A Three-Wave Cohort Study with Complementary Machine Learning Classification.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Overview of systematic reviews and meta-analyses on problematic video game use and gaming disorder in adolescents and young adults.EClinicalMedicine · 2026Review
- Acceptance and Commitment Group Therapy for Problematic Gaming in Adolescents: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry · 2026Article
- Gambling in Online Gaming among Youth in Hong Kong: Does Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) and Online Gambling Tendency Play a Role?Journal of gambling studies · 2026Article
- Internet Gaming Disorder, Problem Gambling Symptoms and Mental Health in Spanish Adolescents: A Cross-Sectional Study on the Role of Microtransactions and Loot Boxes.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- TikTok, teens and mental health: quantifying algorithmic exposure to harmful content.Irish journal of medical science · 2026Article
- Longitudinal Association Between Internet Gaming Disorder and School Refusal Among Adolescents Using a Random Intercept Cross-Lagged Panel Model: Three-Wave Prospective Cohort Study.JMIR serious games · 2026Article
- Development and validation of a comprehensive prevention-focused intervention package for problematic digital technology use among youth: a multi-site study protocol.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Article
- Associations of bullying victimization with problematic internet gaming and problematic social media use among adolescents: moderators and differences.Child and adolescent psychiatry and mental health · 2025Article
- Technology-based interventions to address internet addictive behaviors: systematic review.Discover mental health · 2025Review
- Social Media Engagement and Usage Patterns, Mental Health Comorbidities, and Empathic Measures in an Italian Adolescent Sample: A Comparative Study.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Bidirectional associations of problematic social media use and problematic gaming with mental health difficulties and strengths in adolescents: Sex and social support as potential moderators.Journal of research on adolescence : the official journal of the Society for Research on Adolescence · 2025Article
- What's About Adolescent Online Gamers' Mental Health? Psychological and Cortisol-Stress-System Outcomes in Childhood and Adolescence: A Prospective Longitudinal Case-Control Study.Health science reports · 2025Article
- Centre for Advanced Research on Addictive Behaviors: a national framework for digital wellness and youth mental health targeting behavioral addictions in India.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Article
- The Impact of Social Media on Children's Mental Health: A Systematic Scoping Review.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Biomarkers of Internet Gaming Disorder-A Narrative Review.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Review
- [Digital media use and mental health in adolescents-a narrative review].Bundesgesundheitsblatt, Gesundheitsforschung, Gesundheitsschutz · 2024Review
- Differences in Screen Addiction in the Past 15 Years.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Internet gaming and social media usage (SMU), particularly among children and teenagers, have witnessed a remarkable surge over the past decade. However, it remains uncertain whether this widespread usage has a positive or negative impact. The primary objective of this systematic review was to investigate the diverse effects of excessive video game playing and extensive SMU, both favorable and detrimental, on the psychological and mental well-being of children and adolescents. To assess the influence of internet gaming disorder (IGD) and disordered SMU on the mental health of children aged 6-12 years and adolescents aged 13-18 years, we conducted a systematic review of 20 studies on the subject. These studies utilized a substantial sample size of 48,652 participants, encompassing online and in-person questionnaires administered to children, teenagers, and their parents in educational institutions, healthcare facilities, and online platforms. Our findings suggest that multiple factors contribute to the intricate relationship between SMU, video game playing, and mental health outcomes. The majority of research indicates that excessive gaming or SMU among children and teenagers leads to adverse consequences on their mental well-being. Furthermore, certain studies have even reported fatal consequences, while others have identified a worsening of preexisting mental health issues. A few studies have explored the potential positive impacts of SMU and gaming on individuals and society at large. In light of this, we have concluded that it is inappropriate to categorize internet gaming and SMU as solely beneficial or detrimental without considering the broader context and the interplay of various factors.
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Registered trials
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