Method of study
Initially, participants were contacted by phone. The purpose of the study, the methodology, and the commitment to information confidentiality were explained to motivate honest responses from the adolescents. In light of COVID-19 conditions, informed consent forms were collected online from the students and their parents.The authors formed a WhatsApp group to communicate the study’s goals and support participants throughout all stages. Questionnaires were distributed online in a pre-test format.The intervention group received a mobile application for addiction prevention training, incorporating gamification elements like scoring, badges, rewards, and feedback. The program consisted of questions and answers accompanied by educational images and music. Participants couldn’t revisit previous questions. They earned one point for each correct answer and received a star or badge for every five. Incorrect responses prompted the display of the correct answer. Users could engage with the application as often as desired, aiming to improve their scores and assess their progress compared to previous attempts.The educational content covered several topics, including the definition of addiction, understanding the concept and risks of addiction, identifying various drugs and their types, recognizing the concept and types of internet addiction, and understanding addiction’s physical, psychological, social, and academic impacts. The content also addressed signs and symptoms of drug and internet addiction in teenagers, activities to prevent addiction and proper internet usage.The participants’ questions about the content were answered through the WhatsApp group throughout the study. After this initial phase, both groups completed the questionnaire in the immediate post-test and again one month later, all done online. The same educational content was eventually provided to the control group as part of ethical compliance.