1 - (OP19) Cognitive Behavioural Intervention for Adolescents on High Risk for Gaming and Social Media Addiction: A School-based Program

Gaming and social media addiction an emerging public health concern. However, empirically evaluated, school-based Cognitive Behavioural Intervention Program remain limited in the Indian context.
The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy of a Cognitive Behavioural Intervention for adolescents on high risk for gaming and social media addiction, this was a School-based program in a northern city of India.
-This quasi-experimental study included 1813 school-going adolescents aged 10-19 years (53.08% males) recruited from higher secondary schools. Adolescents were screened using standardized and back-translated self-report measures for Social Media Addiction and Gaming Addiction. Essential inclusion specified qualifying for mild to moderate PIU on the Internet Addiction Test (IAT) and were randomly allocated to the intervention group (n = 140) or the control group (n = 120).
The intervention was delivered as a structured group program including lifestyle modification, motivational interviewing, cognitive-behavioral techniques, self-control strategies, and parental session. Non-parametric analyses were conducted using Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test, Mann–Whitney U Test, and three-point (pre-, post-, and follow-up) comparisons using Friedman’s Chi-square test with post-hoc analyses.
- Within-group analyses demonstrated a significant reduction in PIU among adolescents receiving the intervention. For IAT, the intervention group showed a significant decrease in scores from pre-intervention (Mean = 44.19, SD = 10.27) to post-intervention (Mean = 26.98, SD = 11.37), with a Z value of −9.390 (p < 0.001) and a large effect size (r = 0.794). Similarly, significant pre-post reductions were observed for Smartphone Addiction (SAS-SV), Social Media Addiction (BSMAS), and Gaming Addiction (GAS) in the intervention group (all p < 0.001), with effect sizes ranging from moderate to large (r = 0.529–0.743). After confirming for intervention and control group comparability, post-intervention comparisons were tested between the groups. It revealed significantly lower scores in the intervention group compared to the control group across all major outcome measures
-The findings provide strong empirical support for the efficacy of a school-based integrative cognitive behavioural intervention in reducing PIU among adolescents. The program produced significant and sustained reductions across general and specific PIU domains, alongside meaningful improvements in domain specific outcomes, the domains that are largely based upon DSM-5-TR Internet Gaming dimensions.