Internet Addiction and Online Gaming Disorder in Children and Adolescents During COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review.

Abstract

The Indonesian government has enforced several social restrictions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) virus, such as closures of in-person schools, public areas, and playgrounds as well as reduced outdoor activities. These restrictions will affect mental health of school-age children and adolescents. The internet is chosen as one of the media to keep academic activities running, but excessive internet use will increase internet addiction and online gaming disorder. This study aimed to understand the prevalence and psychological impacts of internet addiction and online gaming disorder on children and adolescents globally during the pandemic. Systematic searches were carried out on the PubMed, ProQuest, and Google Scholar search engines. All studies were assessed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses 2020 criteria and the Newcastle Ottawa Scale. Five studies met the criteria for assessing internet addiction and online gaming disorder cases in children and adolescents. Four studies discussed internet addiction, and one study addressed the negative impacts of online gaming on children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic. There has been an increase in internet use and online gaming disruption in children and adolescents in almost all parts of Asian and Australian countries during the COVID-19 pandemic period.