Problematic internet use among young people in Türkiye: a meta-analysis

Background Problematic internet use (PIU) is a growing public health concern among young people, yet meta-analytic evidence from Türkiye has largely focused on gender differences. This meta-analysis examined gender differences in PIU among young people in Türkiye, as well as associations with daily internet use and family income. Methods Following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines, Researchers searched Web of Science, Scopus, TR Dizin, and Google Scholar, including the cited-by lists of the scale development article, for quantitative studies that measured PIU with the Problematic Internet Use Scale or its adolescent form in high school or university students. Research included 27 studies (17 graduate theses and 10 journal articles) published between 2010 and 2025 ( N = 16,488). Researchers computed effect sizes as Hedges’ g and pooled them using random-effects models with restricted maximum likelihood estimation and the Knapp–Hartung adjustment. Publication year and educational level were tested as moderators, and small-study effects were examined with funnel plots, Egger’s regression test, and the trim-and-fill method. Results Male students reported higher PIU than female students ( k = 27; g = 0.28, 95% CI [0.18, 0.38]), and this difference was smaller in more recent studies. Students in the longest daily-use category reported substantially higher PIU than those in the shortest category ( k = 10; g = 1.31, 95% CI [1.03, 1.60]), and the association remained large after trim-and-fill adjustment. The difference between the highest and the lowest family-income categories was small and not statistically significant ( k = 8; g = 0.16, 95% CI [−0.08, 0.39]). Heterogeneity was high for gender and daily use and moderate for family income. Conclusion Among young people in Türkiye, PIU is most strongly associated with time spent online; the gender difference is small and appears to be narrowing, and the evidence regarding family income is inconclusive. Because all included studies were cross-sectional, the findings describe associations rather than causal effects. Prevention programs may benefit from addressing daily patterns of internet use, and future studies should test theory-based mechanisms with longitudinal designs.