Adolescents’ media use represents a normative need for information, communication,
recreation and functionality, yet problematic Internet use has increased. Given the arguably alarming
prevalence rates worldwide and the increasingly problematic use of gaming and social media,
the need for an integration of prevention efforts appears to be timely. The aim of this systematic
literature review is (i) to identify school-based prevention programmes or protocols for Internet
Addiction targeting adolescents within the school context and to examine the programmes’ effectiveness,
and (ii) to highlight strengths, limitations, and best practices to inform the design of new
initiatives, by capitalizing on these studies’ recommendations. The findings of the reviewed studies
to date presented mixed outcomes and are in need of further empirical evidence. The current review
identified the following needs to be addressed in future designs to: (i) define the clinical status of
Internet Addiction (IA) more precisely, (ii) use more current psychometrically robust assessment
tools for the measurement of effectiveness (based on the most recent empirical developments), (iii)
reconsider the main outcome of Internet time reduction as it appears to be problematic, (iv) build
methodologically sound evidence-based prevention programmes, (v) focus on skill enhancement
and the use of protective and harm-reducing factors, and (vi) include IA as one of the risk behaviours
in multi-risk behaviour interventions. These appear to be crucial factors in addressing future
research designs and the formulation of new prevention initiatives. Validated findings could then
inform promising strategies for IA and gaming prevention in public policy and education.
In the digital age: a systematic literature review of the e-health literacy and influencing factors among Chinese older adults
