Digital Technology Addiction and Family Functioning in Adolescents: The Roles of Screen Time and Shared Family Time

As digital technologies become more embedded in adolescents’ everyday routines, questions have emerged about how this shift relates to family functioning. Grounded in family systems and attachment perspectives, this study examined the association between digital technology addiction and family functioning among high school students. Data were collected from 236 adolescents enrolled in a public high school in Elazığ, Türkiye. A cross-sectional correlational design was employed, and group comparisons, correlation, and regression analyses were conducted. The findings revealed a negative and statistically significant relationship between students’ digital technology addiction scores and family functioning. A small but significant difference was found across grade levels, whereas no differences emerged by gender or age. Regression analysis indicated that daily technology use negatively predicted family functioning, while time spent with family was a positive and significant predictor. The model accounted for 15% of the variance in family functioning. The results suggest that both the amount of time spent on digital devices and the time shared with family members are meaningfully associated with family functioning. These findings may guide future research, particularly studies that include participants from more diverse sociocultural and socioeconomic backgrounds. They may also contribute to the development of interventions designed to strengthen family functioning.