The Effect of a Digital Literacy Program on Problematic Internet Use, Emotion Regulation, and Loneliness in Adolescents: A Randomized Controlled Trial

January 20, 2026 updated by: Sümeyra Demireli, Ataturk University

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of a digital literacy program on problematic internet use, emotion regulation, and loneliness among adolescents. The study aims to answer the following key questions:

  • Does a digital literacy program for adolescents affect problematic internet use, emotion regulation skills, and loneliness?
  • What is the effect of a digital literacy program for adolescents on the level of problematic internet use?
  • What is the effect of a digital literacy program for adolescents on emotion regulation skills?
  • What is the effect of a digital literacy program for adolescents on loneliness? Researchers will conduct pretest and posttest evaluations in the experimental and control groups to determine the effects of the digital literacy program on problematic internet use, emotion regulation, and loneliness in adolescents. Participants in the experimental group who meet the inclusion criteria will receive 8 weeks of positive youth development-based digital literacy training, 40 minutes per week. After the posttest measurements are completed, the intervention group will receive 2 weeks of digital literacy training.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Digital literacy is the process of developing individuals' access to accurate information, critical evaluation, ethical and responsible use, self-management, and social interaction skills. Digital media has become an indispensable part of life today. Individuals interact intensively with digital media, especially during adolescence, a period when interaction with the outside world intensifies, shapes an individual's identity, and heightens emotional awareness. During this critical developmental period, inadequate access to accurate information, critical thinking, and self-regulation skills pave the way for adolescents' problematic internet use. Problematic internet use negatively impacts individuals' academic success, friendships, and physical and mental health.

Emotion regulation, one of the most important skills for coping with risky situations that may arise from problematic internet use, supports adolescents' adaptability and is an effective skill in preventing negative digital interactions. Weak emotion regulation skills can make adolescents more vulnerable to negative digital interactions. Furthermore, increased time spent online and a decrease in face-to-face interactions can reinforce feelings of loneliness.

The program, developed with a positive youth development perspective, aims to increase adolescents' awareness of digital literacy, improve their emotion regulation skills, and reduce feelings of loneliness. The program is expected to provide important data for developing evidence-based intervention approaches for digital literacy within the scope of preventive mental health services in nursing, and particularly for nurses to assume more active roles in school-based preventive mental health services.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

64

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
    • Bayburt
      • Bayburt, Bayburt, Turkey (Türkiye), 69000
        • Bayburt Milli İrade Anadolu Lisesi, Bayburt Fen Lisesi
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Sümeyra DEMİRELİ, PhD student

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child
  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Agreeing to participate in a face-to-face education program
  • Obtaining written consent from students and parents
  • Attending school during the study period
  • Being a 9th, 10th, or 11th-grade student
  • Scoring 52 or higher on the Generalized Problematic Internet Use Scale 2

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Not completing the measurements and applications
  • Not being able to participate in the program due to health or special circumstances
  • Changing schools for any reason
  • Being a 12th grade student
  • Having previously received digital literacy training

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Other
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: experimental group
Participants in this group will participate in an eight-week positive youth development-based digital literacy program. The program includes in-person sessions with interactive exercises on digital literacy, problematic internet use, emotion regulation, and loneliness.
Other: DIGITAL LITERACY PROGRAM
This intervention is an eight-week, face-to-face, Positive Youth Development-Based Digital Literacy Program designed specifically for adolescents. It includes interactive sessions, discussions, and exercises that address digital literacy, problematic internet use, emotion regulation, and loneliness. The program differs from other digital literacy interventions because it integrates positive youth development principles and focuses on both online behavior and emotional skills.
No Intervention: control group
Participants in this group will not receive any program during the study. Following the post-test measurements, they will receive two weeks of digital literacy training.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Generalized Problematic Internet Use (GPIU-2) Scores
Time Frame: 8 weeks (baseline to post-intervention)
The Turkish adaptation of the Generalized Problematic Internet Use Scale 2 (GPIUS2) will be used in the research. The scale consists of four subdimensions and 15 items, namely online social interaction preference, emotion regulation, inadequate self-regulation, and negative consequences. It is scored using a 5-point Likert-type scale with the values of "Strongly Disagree," "Disagree," "Undecided," "Agree," and "Strongly Agree." Caplan did not report a cutoff point for the original Generalized Problematic Internet Use Scale 2. In the study conducted by Machimbarrena et al., an ROC curve analysis was performed to determine the cutoff point for GPIUS2, and a score of 52 was recommended to distinguish problematic and non-problematic internet users.
8 weeks (baseline to post-intervention)
Change in Emotion Regulation Scores
Time Frame: 8 weeks (baseline to post-intervention)
The Emotion Regulation Scale for Adolescents is a tool for assessing adolescents' emotion regulation with four subdimensions: internal functional emotion regulation, internal dysfunctional emotion regulation, external functional emotion regulation, and external dysfunctional emotion regulation. The scale consists of a total of 18 items and is scored using a 5-point Likert-type scale: "Never (1), Rarely (2), Sometimes (3), Most of the time (4), and Always (5). Item response scores for each subdimension are calculated individually and indicate the individual's frequency of using the relevant emotion regulation method. The subdimension with the highest total score is the individual's most frequently used emotion regulation method. There are no reverse-scored items.
8 weeks (baseline to post-intervention)
Change in Adolescent Loneliness Scores
Time Frame: 8 weeks (baseline to post-intervention)
The single-dimensional scale, applied to adolescents aged 14-19, consists of 7 items and is scored with a 4-point Likert-type scale of "(1) Never, (2) Rarely, (3) Sometimes, and (4) Always." Item 5 of the scale is reverse-scored. The highest score that can be obtained from the scale is 28, while the lowest is 7. Higher scores indicate higher feelings of loneliness. The Cronbach's alpha internal consistency coefficient of the scale was found to be α=0.74. The test-retest reliability of the UYÖ-SF, administered to 64 high school students at a two-week interval, was found to be r=0.84.
8 weeks (baseline to post-intervention)

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Ataturk University

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Sümeyra DEMİRELİ, PhD student, Ataturk University
  • Study Director: Hatice DURMAZ, Associate Professor, Ataturk University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

February 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

April 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

June 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

December 10, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 20, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

January 26, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

January 26, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 20, 2026

Last Verified

January 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • B.30.2.ATA.0.01.00/399

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

Individual participant data will not be shared, as the participant consent form states that the data will be used only for this study.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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