Digital Well-Being Scale for Young Adults: Validity and Reliability Study

This study aims to develop a valid and reliable scale to measure digital well-being. The study was conducted in a stepwise process: (1) creating an item pool and ensuring content validity with expert opinion; (2) defining the structure of the scale with exploratory factor analysis; (3) testing the validity of the structure with confirmatory factor analysis (CFA); (4) examining the relationships between the Digital Well-being Scale (DWS) and GWSSF, digital stress, and digital literacy for criterion validity analysis (5) reliability analyses. As a result of EFA, a scale structure consisting of 18 items and four sub-dimensions was obtained. The study presents a multidimensional measurement tool for assessing digital well-being by incorporating self-regulation, digital awareness, meaning, and social relationships in digital contexts. By moving beyond screen time focused indicators, the scale offers a structured framework that can be used in empirical research and applied studies related to digital well-being.