The TikTok Addiction Scale: Development and validation

Abstract

Introduction: There is an absence of valid and specific psychometric tools to assess TikTok addiction. Considering that the use of TikTok is increasing very rapidly, and the fact that TikTok addiction may be a different form of social media addiction, there is an urge for a valid tool to measure TikTok addiction. Aim: To develop and validate a tool to measure TikTok addiction among users. Methods: First, we performed an extensive literature review to create a pool of items to measure TikTok addiction. Then, we employed a panel of experts from different backgrounds to examine the content validity of the initial set of items. We examined the face validity of the scale by performing cognitive interviews with TikTok users and calculating the item-level face validity index. We employed exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis to examine the construct validity of the “TikTok Addiction Scale” (TTAS). We examined the concurrent validity of the TTAS by using the “Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale” (BSMAS), the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4), and the Big Five Inventory‐10 (BFI‐10). We used Cronbach’s alpha, McDonald’s Omega, Cohen’s kappa, and intraclass correlation coefficient to examine the reliability of the TTAS. Results: Initially, we developed a pool of 28 items and, after expert panel review and item analysis, we deleted 13 items. Then, we conducted exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis including 15 items to examine the factorial structure of the TTAS. Both analyses confirmed that the final version of the TTAS includes 15 items. Moreover, we found six factors including 15 items; salience (two items), mood modification (two items), tolerance (three items), withdrawal symptoms (two items), conflict (four items), and relapse (two items). Concurrent validity of the TTAS was excellent since we found statistically significant correlations between the TTAS and the BSMAS, the PHQ-4, and the BFI‐10. Cronbach’s alpha and McDonald’s Omega for the TTAS was 0.911 and 0.914, respectively. Cohen’s kappa for the 15 items ranged from 0.760 to 0.954 (p < 0.001 in all cases). Intraclass correlation coefficient for the TTAS was 0.994 (p < 0.001). Thus, the reliability of the TTAS was excellent. Conclusions: The TTAS is a six-factor 15-item scale with robust psychometric properties. The TTAS is a short and easy-to-use tool that measures levels of TikTok addiction among users in a valid way. Considering the limitations of our study, we recommend the translation and validation of the TTAS in other languages and populations to further examine the reliability and the validity of the scale.