Digital Desensitization and the Dual Risk Pathway: How Gaming Addiction Reduces Emotional Intelligence and Increases Cyber Vulnerability in Adolescents

Abstract

Digital gaming has become a dominant feature of adolescent life, raising concerns about its effects on emotional development, social functioning, and digital safety. While previous research has linked gaming addiction to aggression and academic decline, fewer studies have examined its impact on emotional intelligence and adolescents vulnerability to digital risks. This study investigates how gaming addiction relates to reduced emotional competence, weakened real-world social adaptability, and heightened exposure to unsafe online environments. Using a descriptive analytical design, 216 secondary school students who met criteria for gaming addiction completed validated scales assessing gaming dependency, social behavior, and emotional functioning. Excessive gaming was associated with lower empathy, diminished interpretation of nonverbal cues, weakened emotional regulation, and greater social withdrawal. Although males exhibited higher addiction severity, both genders displayed comparable declines in social competence. Findings indicate that emotional intelligence deficits may partly mediate adolescents exposure to cybersecurity risks, including extremist content, grooming attempts, and manipulative digital interactions frequently encountered in online gaming platforms. The study highlights the need for integrated interventions that combine emotional intelligence training, digital literacy education, and parental mediation strategies. These results contribute to an interdisciplinary understanding of how digital dependency shapes adolescent psychosocial development and offer a foundation for future research on adolescent digital safety and well-being.