Stuck in the Magic Screen! The Effects of Digital Game Addiction on Children's Developmental Domains through Preservice Teachers' Lenses

ABSTRACT Children born into the digital world will not waste time in reaching this new technology. Since every new technology can have positive or negative features, children will get their share of this situation. This study was conducted to investigate the increasing digital game addiction of our children born into the digital world and the effects of digital games on the developmental dimensions of children. The content analysis technique, one of the qualitative research methods, was used in the research. In content analysis, detailed analyses are made and categories are created from situations. 98 preservice teachers who study at Konya Necmettin Erbakan University go on school internships and have the opportunity to observe the children one-on-one who participated in the study. As a result of the content analysis 6 main and 4 sub-themes were found as mental, social, psychological, biological, and communicative and multiple dimension effects of digital games on children. They were subjected to content analysis techniques and supported by the direct quotes of the participants one by one. As a last remark, teachers, policymakers, and parents made some recommendations about the negative effects of digital game addictions.