Stakeholder perspectives on digital wellbeing in Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional survey (Preprint)

BACKGROUND In Saudi Arabia, the use of digital media and technology, such as the Internet and smartphones, has experienced significant growth. This has contributed to concerns about problematic digital media use and its negative impacts on wellbeing, especially among young people. However, there is a paucity of research on stakeholder perspectives regarding intervention strategies to address these issues. OBJECTIVE The goal of the study was to gather insights from a range of societal stakeholders, including young people, parents, policy makers, industry leaders, clinicians, educators, and digital media users and non-users, to inform the development of culturally tailored interventions to improve digital wellbeing in Saudi Arabia. METHODS One hundred participants, sampled purposefully, completed an survey online. Participants answered questions regarding their experiences and perspectives on digital media use and digital well-being. We examined distributions of categorical variables for questions related to participant digital media use time, reasons for use, impacts of use, strategies to self-regulate use, and perceived likelihood of success of different interventions to improve digital wellbeing in Saudi Arabia (e.g., education programs, media campaigns, Internet use restrictions). RESULTS Among participants, 64% were male, and 51% were under 25 years old (range from 15 to 64). Participants were primarily identified as regular digital media users (25 %), persons with problematic Internet use (19%), or clinicians/healthcare professionals (17%). Most participants reported extensive daily screen time use, with 50% reporting four or more hours of digital media use for recreation on weekdays, and 59% on weekends. Participants reported differential impacts of their digital media/technology use ranging from positive (e.g., contact with family and friends, performance at school/work) to negative (e.g., disrupted sleep, reduced physical activity). Of all participants, 77% reported attempts at regulating their digital media use by using various strategies such as deleting apps from their phones or taking periodic digital detox breaks. Participants thought it was likely (endorsed by 50% of participants or more) that all potential intervention approaches presented to them would be effective to improve digital wellbeing in Saudi Arabia. Educational programs for parents, school programs for children, and apps designed to regulate digital media use were endorsed by at least 75% of respondents. Children and adolescents were perceived as the primary target population for these interventions. CONCLUSIONS Our findings, based on perspectives of a diverse group of stakeholders, suggest that interventions to enhance digital wellbeing in Saudi Arabia should prioritize young people and focus on education-based interventions and apps designed to regulate digital media use. By incorporating stakeholder perspectives, culturally tailored interventions can be developed to address specific needs and challenges associated with digital media use in the Saudi context.