Internet Gaming Disorder (IDG) Is Not Just a Teen Issue

At a glance

Internet Gaming Disorder affects many young adults: Around 6% of people aged 18–35 meet criteria for IGD, challenging the idea that problematic gaming is mainly an adolescent issue.
Prevalence depends heavily on measurement: Rates vary widely based on diagnostic tools, sample type, and study quality, with higher estimates often linked to gamer-only samples and a higher risk of bias.
A global but nuanced concern: IGD appears worldwide and is more common among gamers, but gaming itself isn’t harmful; only a vulnerable minority experience significant impairment, highlighting the need for better screening and consistent methods.

A large-scale review published in Addictive Behaviours suggests that Internet Gaming Disorder is a significant mental health concern among young adults, affecting around six per cent of people aged 18 to 35 worldwide. The findings challenge the widespread assumption that problematic gaming is mainly an adolescent issue, showing that it often persists into early and mid-adulthood. The analysis also reveals that reported prevalence varies substantially depending on how the condition is measured.

Young adulthood is a period marked by major transitions, including higher education, entering the workforce, and achieving financial independence. These changes can bring heightened stress and uncertainty, and previous research suggests that some young adults may turn to gaming as a coping mechanism. However, estimates of how common Internet Gaming Disorder is within this age group have differed widely across studies.

“Most prevalence research on Internet Gaming Disorder has focused on adolescents, while young adults are often treated as a residual or mixed group. However, this life stage is marked by significant transitions and vulnerabilities that may increase the risk of problematic gaming. We aimed to provide an updated, age-specific estimate of IGD prevalence in young adults and to clarify why prevalence figures vary so widely across studies,”

said study author Claudio Longobardi, a professor at the University of Turin.

Internet Gaming Disorder is defined by persistent and recurrent gaming behaviour that leads to significant distress or impairment, including loss of control, neglect of other activities, and negative impacts on relationships, education, or work. It is recognised as a condition for further study in the DSM-5-TR and as an official diagnosis in the ICD-11.

The researchers conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies published between 2015 and 2025, focusing specifically on young adults. In total, the analysis included 96 samples from 93 studies, representing nearly 150,000 participants with an average age of 23.5 years. Using advanced statistical models, the researchers estimated an overall prevalence of 6.1 percent, equivalent to roughly one in sixteen young adults.

Prevalence was higher in studies that sampled only people who identified as gamers, reaching just over eight percent, compared with around five and a half percent in mixed samples drawn from the general population. Diagnostic tools also played a major role. Studies using DSM-5-based questionnaires consistently produced higher estimates than those using alternative measures.

“From a public health perspective, even a prevalence of 5–8% translates into a large number of affected individuals worldwide,” Longobardi said. “The wide variability across studies also shows that how we measure IGD matters greatly. This has practical implications for screening, prevention, and policy decisions.”

Study quality further influenced results. Smaller studies and those with a higher risk of bias tended to report higher prevalence rates, suggesting that some commonly cited figures may overestimate the scale of the problem.

“One striking finding was how strongly prevalence estimates depended on the diagnostic instrument and study quality,” Longobardi said. “Studies with higher risk of bias or smaller samples tended to report much higher prevalence, which suggests that some widely cited figures may be overestimates.”

The analysis also found evidence that prevalence among gamer-only samples has increased over time, potentially reflecting changes in game design, such as reward-based mechanics that encourage prolonged play. No significant differences were observed across geographic regions, suggesting that problematic gaming is a global phenomenon. There was, however, a trend indicating lower prevalence in samples with a higher proportion of women.

“Our results suggest that IGD affects a non-negligible proportion of young adults (around 6% overall, and over 8% among gamers) making it more common than many people assume for this age group,” Longobardi explained.

“Gaming itself is not inherently problematic, but for a minority it can become a source of significant impairment. Awareness and early identification are therefore important, especially in educational and clinical settings.”

The authors caution that most of the data comes from self-report surveys rather than clinical diagnoses, and that high variability between studies remains a challenge. They also note signs of publication bias, with studies reporting higher prevalence more likely to be published.

“Our findings should not be read as implying that gaming is broadly harmful, but rather that a specific pattern of dysregulated gaming affects a vulnerable subgroup of young adults,” Longobardi said. “Future work should focus on improving methodological consistency, aligning assessment tools with DSM-5-TR and ICD-11 criteria, and examining IGD in relation to comorbid mental health conditions.”