It’s essential to understand that digital addiction is complex and cannot be solely defined by excessive screen time, says Dr Chin. — 123rf
THERE is a lot one can do with eight hours of the day.
You can get a good night’s sleep, work a full shift at most jobs, touch grass with friends, spend time with your family and the list goes on. Instead, Malaysian youth spend up to eight hours a day facing a screen, according to a recent study on digital addiction among youths.
The study was conducted by Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman’s Tun Tan Cheng Lock Centre for Social and Policy Studies (TCLC) in collaboration with the Universiti Teknologi Mara Perlis’ Academy of Contemporary Islamic Studies (ACIS).
This finding is in line with a separate survey in 2023 which reportedly found that Malaysians spend an average of seven to eight hours a day online, making Malaysia the country with the longest time spent online worldwide, says TCLC chairman Dr Chin Yee Mun.
Out of the total 528 respondents aged between 16 to 30 who participated in the latest study, almost 34% said they spend eight hours and above using a screen every day.
The second highest group was those who said they spend between five to six hours a day, at 32%, while 22% said they are online seven to eight hours a day.
They are not limited to using only one screen either, as the study revealed that over 92% of respondents said they used up to three devices daily.
While these figures may seem alarming at first glance, Chin says this does not mean the phenomenon can be directly attributed to addiction to devices.
The study dove deeper into categorising the device usage of the respondents as well as their attitude towards devices and digital addiction. They found that over half the respondents mainly used devices for communication (61%) and information gathering (52%) purposes, while they were least likely to use devices for gaming (16%) and online shopping (13.83%).
This suggests that high screen usage is often driven by educational purposes rather than addiction, says a member of the research team, UTAR creative industries faculty lecturer Yong Xin Yi.
Addressing concerns about the rampant spread of misinformation online, Yong says most of the respondents are university students who primarily gather information for academic purposes so they should be able to identify misinformation and fake news.
“However, digital literacy skills training is still crucial because it extends to issues like financial and relationship scams,” she adds. “In this age, students may be eager for extra pocket money or to enter relationships that could cloud their judgment.”
Most of the respondents appeared to be aware of digital addiction, with over 82% agreeing or strongly agreeing that digital addiction involves being unable to leave screens.
Many were also aware that characteristics of digital addiction include craving social approval, constant satisfaction and constant entertainment.
“While this initial awareness is positive, it’s essential to understand that digital addiction is complex and cannot be solely defined by excessive screen time,” Chin adds.
Digital addiction was first formally recognised by the World Health Organisation as a worldwide problem in 2020.
In a research published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health in 2022, authors Birgitta Dresp-Langley and Axel Hutt said digital addiction is identified to be “functionally equivalent” to all addictions.
They also characterised digital addiction as the compulsive, habitual and uncontrolled use of digital devices and an excessively repeated engagement in a particular online behaviour.
“Once the urge to be online has become uncontrollable, it is always accompanied by severe sleep loss, emotional distress, depression and memory dysfunction,” they said in the article.
But in the recent joint study, less than half the respondents (46.4%) agreed that digital addiction is a medical condition necessitating medical treatment.
“This uncertainty may stem from the overlap of symptoms of digital addiction with those of other mental health conditions, such as anxiety, depression or attention deficit disorder,” Chin says.
The relatively low recognition of digital addiction as a medical condition among the respondents is a cause for concern, says Yong.
“(It) underscores the need for greater awareness and education to prevent and address the risks associated with excessive screen time. The findings raise concerns about the potential overlap between digital addiction and mental health issues such as anxiety and depression,” she says.
Concurring, co-researcher Dr Azhar Abdul Rahman says the research can help various stakeholders address the challenges of screen addiction.
“Counsellors and healthcare professionals can use our research findings to develop more effective treatment plans and interventions for patients dealing with screen addiction,” says Azhar, who is also ACIS head.
“We also hope the research can inform policies aimed at mitigating the negative effects of excessive screen time as well as helping to create healthier environments in schools and workplaces. Meanwhile, parents and educators can implement evidence-based strategies to help the young manage their screen time more effectively.”
Ultimately, those struggling with screen addiction can gain insights and strategies for managing their usage of digital devices, leading to better mental health and improved life balance.
