The present meta-analytic review aimed to synthesize the global prevalence characteristics of digital addiction in the general population. We searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and PsycINFO for studies reporting prevalence of various subtypes of digital addiction published before October 31, 2021. Studies were eligible if they were published in peer-reviewed journals, used a validated tool to assess digital addiction, and passed the qualify assessment. In total, 498 articles with 507 studies were included in systematic review, and the meta-analysis included 495 articles with 504 studies covering 2,123,762 individuals from 64 countries. Global pooled prevalence estimates were 26.99% (95% CI, 22.73–31.73) for smartphone addiction, 17.42% (95% CI, 12.42–23.89) for social media addiction, 14.22% (95% CI, 12.90–15.65) for Internet addiction, 8.23% (95% CI, 5.75–11.66) for cybersex addiction, and 6.04% (95% CI, 4.80–7.57) for game addiction. Higher prevalence of digital addiction was found in Eastern Mediterranean region and low/lower-middle income countries. Males had higher risk for Internet and game addiction. An increasing trend of digital addiction during the past two decades was found, which dramatically worsened during COVID-19 pandemic. This study provides the first and comprehensive estimation for the global prevalence of multiple subtypes of digital addiction, which varied between regions, economic levels, time periods of publication, genders, and assessment scales.

PROSPERO ID: CRD42020171117.

本荟萃分析综述旨在综合一般人群中数字成瘾的全球流行特征。我们在 PubMed、Embase、Cochrane 图书馆和 PsycINFO 中搜索了 2021 年 10 月 31 日之前发表的报告各种数字成瘾亚型流行率的研究。如果研究在同行评审的期刊上发表，使用经过验证的工具来评估数字成瘾，则符合条件的研究，并通过了合格评定。共有 498 篇文章和 507 项研究被纳入系统评价，荟萃分析包括 495 篇文章和 504 项研究，涵盖来自 64 个国家的 2,123,762 人。智能手机成瘾的全球汇总患病率估计为 26.99% (95% CI, 22.73–31.73)，社交媒体成瘾为 17.42% (95% CI, 12.42–23.89)，网络成瘾为 14.22% (95% CI, 12.90–15.65) , 8.23% (95% CI, 5.75–11.66) 对于网络成瘾，游戏成瘾为 6.04%（95% CI，4.80-7.57）。东地中海地区和低/中低收入国家的数字成瘾率较高。男性有更高的网络和游戏成瘾风险。在过去的二十年中发现了数字成瘾的增加趋势，在 COVID-19 大流行期间急剧恶化。本研究首次全面估计了数字成瘾多种亚型的全球流行率，这些亚型因地区、经济水平、出版时间段、性别和评估尺度而异。

PROSPERO ID： CRD42020171117。