With the rapid spread of digital technologies today, screen addiction has become an increasingly significant health problem, especially among children and young people. The concept of addiction was first defined in the 19th century and refers to an individual’s uncontrolled tendency to pursue a specific stimulus. The increased accessibility of devices such as computers, tablets, phones, and televisions has extended children’s exposure to screens, leading to significant psychological, neurological, and developmental effects.
Psychological, Behavioral, and Social Effects
Screen addiction creates notable negative effects on children’s attention and concentration skills. Prolonged screen exposure leads to outcomes such as attention deficits, difficulty following instructions, delays in understanding commands, and a decrease in auditory attention performance. Weakening of social relationships, deterioration in peer communication, gaming-related dependency, mood instability, and social anxiety are other important problems associated with this process. Additionally, behavioral problems, hyperactivity, and obsessive tendencies are observed more frequently as screen time increases.
Neurological Effects and Auditory Attention
The effects of screen use on brain structure and neurochemical processes have been scientifically demonstrated. Intensive screen exposure is known to cause changes in the dopamine system, which affects motivation, reward cycles, and attention mechanisms. Auditory attention is a higher-level cognitive process that involves selecting, distinguishing, and interpreting information received through hearing. After sound waves are converted into neural signals in the cochlea, they are processed by the temporal lobe, prefrontal cortex, and other brain regions. Excessive screen use can reduce the efficiency of this neural processing chain, leading to weakened auditory attention, auditory discrimination, and the ability to sustain attention.
Effects on Auditory Processing and Language Development
Screen-based passive listening reduces natural conversational interaction. This negatively affects the development of auditory memory, sequencing, speech perception in noise, and verbal expression skills in children. The literature indicates that screen use may have negative effects on central auditory processing and may result in conditions similar to the symptoms of Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD). In addition, delayed language development, limited vocabulary, and regression in communication skills are among the known consequences of screen exposure.
Headphone Use and Hearing Health
Screen addiction increases the use of headphones, especially among adolescents. It has been shown that long-term and high-volume headphone use poses significant audiological risks such as noise-induced hearing loss, tinnitus, and auditory fatigue. Therefore, headphone use habits should also be evaluated alongside screen time.
Assessment of Auditory Perception and the Role of Audiologists
The assessment of auditory perception is a comprehensive process aimed at determining an individual’s hearing capacity, auditory attention level, speech comprehension ability, and auditory processing performance. In this context, the following are used:
• Auditory attention tests
• Audiological evaluations
• Speech discrimination and speech-in-noise tests
• Audio-visual integration assessments
• Central Auditory Processing tests
These tests administered by audiologists reveal the individual’s auditory functions in detail and contribute to planning necessary intervention programs.
Screen addiction is a multifaceted problem that creates significant effects on auditory attention, auditory processing, language development, and hearing health. Therefore, screen usage time and patterns must be considered in audiological evaluations; and the importance of conscious and controlled screen use should be emphasized to support healthy auditory and cognitive development in children. This strong relationship between screen addiction and the field of audiology clearly demonstrates the necessity of early evaluation and proper guidance.
