Moral panic and gaming disorder: focused on the mediation role of negative attitudes toward digital games

Introduction: With the inclusion of "Gaming Disorder (GD)" in the official disorder manual by the World Health Organization (WHO), the concept of "Moral Panic (MP)"-referring to preemptive regulation driven by the spread of socio-cultural concerns-has attracted significant attention in related debates. However, empirical evidence regarding the MP phenomenon remains scarce. This study examined how socio-cultural concerns (responsibility to media threats and negative attitudes toward youth) and negative attitudes toward games are associated with the degree of socio-cultural agreement on the policy of pathologizing GD. Methods: A structural equation model was tested using survey data from 2,000 participants recruited in South Korea. Results: Negative attitudes toward youth and responsibility to media threats were positively associated with negative attitudes toward games and support for regulation. Notably, negative attitudes toward games mediated the relationships between these socio-cultural concerns and agreement with pathologizing GD. In addition, being female, older, and spending less time gaming were associated with more negative attitudes toward games. Discussion: These findings suggest that socio-cultural concerns play a critical role in shaping public support for regulatory policies by fostering negative attitudes toward new media. They also highlight the importance of considering MP-related processes when interpreting public responses to GD.