A small study from Turkey tested whether a motivational interviewing-supported health education program could help reduce digital game addiction and cyberbullying among teenagers. The study included 52 ninth-grade students from a single high school. Half of the students took part in six sessions of the program, while the other half did not receive any special intervention.
After the program, the students who participated reported significantly lower scores for digital game addiction, cyberbullying, and cyber victimization compared to the control group. The effects were moderate to large, according to the statistical measures used.
However, this was a very small study with only 52 students from one school. The results may not apply to other teens in different settings. Also, the study only looked at short-term effects right after the program ended. It is not known if the benefits last over time.
While these findings are promising, more research with larger and more diverse groups of teens is needed before drawing firm conclusions. The program appears to be a low-risk approach that could be explored further.