Addressing Digital Addiction Among Chinese Rural Adolescents: Development and Evaluation of an Innovative School-Based Social-Emotional Learning Program

Background and Purpose: Adolescence is a critical developmental stage that requires support from social environments. While technology offers substantial benefits for adolescent development, digital addiction (DA) has emerged as a significant concern. Compared to their urban peers, rural Chinese adolescents are at higher risk of DA due to parental neglect, limited access to mental health services, and the digital divide, which contribute to negative social, emotional, and behavioral outcomes. Although Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) programs have been widely advocated for enhancing student well-being in Western societies, their potential for preventing DA has been underexplored. In addition, SEL research and practices lag significantly in Eastern societies, particularly in rural Chinese middle school contexts. This study developed and evaluated a culturally adapted, school-based SEL program aimed at preventing DA and enhancing social-emotional well-being among rural Chinese adolescents, both in their offline and online social environments.

Method: A two-arm pilot cluster randomized controlled trial with a waitlist control design was conducted with 414 7th-grade students from a rural town in Southwest China (Mean age = 12.39, SD = 0.53; 46.4% girls; 44.7% left-behind). Participants in the intervention group (n = 206) received an eight-session weekly SEL program delivered by their homeroom teachers, incorporating culturally relevant strategies to address local challenges. All students completed self-report assessments pre- and post-intervention on DA, anxiety, depression, peer and parent relationships, and school-related SEL outcomes. Independent t-tests and χ² tests were used to examine baseline differences, while linear mixed modeling (LMM) assessed intervention effects. Subgroup analyses explored gender-specific outcomes.

Results: No significant baseline differences were found between the intervention and control groups in demographic or outcome variables. Boys exhibited higher levels of DA, while girls reported greater anxiety at baseline. LMM results indicated significant improvements in the intervention group in several outcomes: reduced neglect of offline social life (p < 0.05; ES = 0.23), improved emotional well-being (p < 0.01; ES = 0.35), enhanced coping resources (p < 0.05; ES = 0.29), and increased school-related SEL outcomes (p < 0.05; ES = 0.25). Gender-specific analysis showed that boys benefited more from the SEL outcomes, while girls experienced greater improvements in peer relationships and offline social engagement.

Conclusion and Implications: This study is among the first to investigate the feasibility and efficacy of culturally adapted SEL programs aimed at preventing DA and improving well-being among Chinese rural adolescents. The results provide promising evidence that SEL programs can enhance social-emotional outcomes and foster healthy social interactions, which may offer a cost-effective solution to address technology use challenges and developmental risks faced by underserved Chinese rural adolescents. Future interventions should incorporate gender-specific strategies to increase effectiveness. The findings have important implications for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers seeking to address DA and mental health service disparities among underserved middle school students in rural China.