Digital Addictions Across Cultures

Digital media play a dominant role worldwide, although the extent and patterns of use vary across cultures. This project examines problematic digital media use in a cross-cultural comparison to identify both commonalities and culture-specific differences in the development, manifestation, and consequences of digital addictions.

We investigate Internet Gaming Disorder, problematic smartphone use, and social media addiction across three cultural contexts: Kenya, Malaysia, and Germany. The focus is on identifying key mechanisms as well as cultural moderators that shape the development and maintenance of problematic use patterns.

By using a cross-cultural approach, the project aims to uncover core mechanisms of digital addictions and to derive implications for culturally sensitive prevention and clinical interventions. In doing so, it contributes to a better understanding of digital addictive disorders in a globalized, digitally connected world.