JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Digital overuse poses a significant threat to health through multiple pathways, including the deterioration of mental health and sleep disturbance. This issue has led to the development of Digital Overuse-targeted Digital Behavior Change Intervention (DO-DBCI). Although research in this field has advanced by adopting state-of-the-art technologies, substantial gaps exist in elements critical to establishing intervention validity, including target devices and activities, intervention strategies, theoretical foundations, target populations, and sustainability of effects.

Objective:

This scoping review aimed to systematically map DO-DBCI research across these five dimensions and to identify structural gaps and future research priorities.

Methods:

Following PRISMA-ScR guidelines, four databases (Web of Science, ACM Digital Library, IEEE Xplore, PubMed) were searched through February 2026. Of 3,167 records retrieved, 29 studies were included after two-stage screening by two independent reviewers.

Results:

Pronounced structural biases were identified across all five dimensions. Most studies targeted smartphones exclusively (79.3%) and aimed at reducing total usage time without distinguishing specific activities (76%); no study addressed short-form video platforms. Nudge-based and friction/restriction-based strategies were most prevalent, while AI/ML-based adaptive interventions remained limited. A total of 41.4% of studies lacked an explicit theoretical framework. Target populations were heavily skewed toward young adults (48.3%), with only 10.3% targeting adolescents. Most studies adopted short-term designs of four weeks or less, and only 35.7% included any post-intervention follow-up.

Conclusions:

This first comprehensive scoping review of DO-DBCI identifies four critical gaps: device and activity concentration, theory-to-design disconnect, demographic skew toward convenience samples, and insufficient longitudinal evaluation. Future research should prioritize activity-specific interventions, explicit theory-driven design, expanded population diversity, and standardized longitudinal study designs. Clinical Trial: Not applicable.