JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

The issue of adolescents’ internet adaptability is becoming increasingly prominent, and traditional educational methods, due to their limitations, struggle to achieve significant results. As an emerging educational tool, serious games possess great potential in effectively enhancing adolescents’ knowledge and skills on the internet, fostering positive online attitudes, and strengthening their ability to cope with online risks, owing to learning scenarios and interactivity. This review explores the potential of serious games in the enhancement of adolescents’ internet adaptability and proposes design principles. It analyzes mechanisms of serious games in the enhancement of adolescents’ internet adaptability, including experiential learning, the cultivation of the sense of psychological control and transfer of learning. Based on the characteristics of serious games, design principles such as goal clarity, contextual authenticity, interactive diversity, immediate feedback, content expansibility, and user-friendly interfaces are proposed. The aim is to provide guidelines for educators in developing serious games that are both engaging and effective in enhancing adolescents’ internet adaptability, thereby offering strong support for their healthy growth and comprehensive development.