Effect of attentional bias modification on social media addiction: a visual dot-probe task

Introduction Social media addiction (SMA) negatively affects individuals’ physical wellbeing and mental health. The attentional bias (AB) toward stimuli associated with social media may significantly contribute to the development of SMA. This study examines the use of an attentional bias modification (ABM) program as an intervention and investigates both the short-term and long-term effects of such intervention methods. Methods A total of 44 college students exhibiting SMA tendencies were divided into a training group, which received ABM training, and a control group, which received non-biased attention training. Changes in AB and SMA severity were compared between the two groups at four distinct time points: prior to training (Time 1), immediately following training (Time 2), 2 weeks post-training (Time 3), and 4 weeks post-training (Time 4), to assess the effects of ABM training on SMA. Results Following ABM training, participants in the training group exhibited a shift away from social media relevant AB and toward attentional avoidance at Time 2, with a concomitant reduction in the SMA severity. The intervention effects were found to be sustained at Time 3 and Time 4. By contrast, the control group demonstrated no significant changes in either their AB toward social media relevant information or the SMA severity at any of the four time points. Discussion This study thus substantiates the efficacy of ABM training in mitigating SMA, providing a new method for intervention and treatment.