The Digital Life Balance Scale: Validation and Gender Invariance Among Urban Russian Adolescents

The advent of Information and Communication Technologies has profoundly shaped daily life, especially for those raised as “digital natives”. This study aimed to validate the Digital Life Balance (DLB) scale within the Russian urban adolescent population. A total of 420 adolescents (186 males and 234 females, M = 16.60 years) participated in the study. The DLB scale was translated and culturally adapted, alongside measures of life satisfaction, self-esteem, fear of missing out, and technology addiction. Confirmatory Factor Analysis supported a unidimensional structure with good internal consistency. Measurement invariance was demonstrated across genders. External validity was supported by positive significant correlations with life satisfaction and self-esteem, and negative correlation with smartphone addiction, gaming addiction, and social media disorder. Findings indicate that a balanced digital life is associated with higher well-being and lower technology addiction and that the adapted DLB scale is a reliable tool for evaluating DLB among urban Russian adolescents.