Exploring the Relationship Between Protection Motivation and Addiction Severity Towards Secure Intention Behavior in Online Game Addiction Among Adolescents

Online game addiction refers to the excessive and compulsive use of online games, leading to negative consequences in various aspects of people’s life. One concerning aspect is that compulsive players may compromise their security and safety while engaging in gaming activities. Despite the growing concern about this issue, there is still much to understand about providing effective protections and interventions, particularly among adolescents. Thus, this paper aims to investigate the relationship between protection motivation and the severity of online game addiction, with a particular focus on secure intention behavior among adolescents affected by online game addiction. A survey was conducted involving 660 late adolescents (aged 17–19 years) from various Higher Learning Institutions (HLIs) in Peninsular Malaysia. The findings revealed that 35% of the participants were addicted to online games, as assessed by the Online Cognition Scale (OCS) and Online Game Addiction Scale (OGAS). The severity of online game addiction significantly impacted secure intention behavior within the online gaming environment. Additionally, protection motivation emerged as a significant predictor of positive security behavior. These results offer new insights and support the existing hypotheses, emphasizing the importance of investigating the impact of online game addiction severity on secure intention behavior. Understanding the relationship between protection motivation and the severity of online game addiction concerning security intention behavior is crucial to prevent adverse outcomes, such as insecure cyber behavior and vulnerability to cyber threats. The findings from this study can contribute to the development of effective interventions and prevention strategies against cyber threats in the context of online gaming.