Internet addiction has been found to be prevalent worldwide, including Asian countries,
and related to several negative outcomes and other behavioral addictions. The Bergen
Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS), Smartphone Application-Based Addiction Scale
(SABAS), and nine-item Internet Gaming Disorder Scale-Short Form (IGDS-SF9) have been
extensively used to assess internet-related addictions. However, the three aforementioned
instruments have rarely been used in Asian countries. The aim of the present study
was to investigate whether the BSMAS, SABAS, and IGDS-SF9 were appropriate for use
in heterogeneous subsamples from Hong Kong and Taiwan. University students from Hong
Kong (n = 306) and Taiwan (n = 336) were recruited via an online survey. Multigroup
confirmatory factor analysis (MGCFA) was used to assess measurement invariance of
the BSMAS, SABAS, and IGDS-SF9 across the two subcultures. The original unidimensional
structures of BSMAS, SABAS and IGDS-SF9 were confirmed through confirmatory factorial
analysis in both subcultures. The MGCFA results showed that the unidimensional structures
of the BSMAS and IGDS-SF9 were invariant across the two Chinese cultural areas (Hong
Kong and Taiwan). However, the measurement invariance of the SABAS was established
after some model modifications. In conclusion, the present study found that the Chinese
BSMAS, SABAS, and IGDS-SF9 were all adequate instruments to validly assess internet-related
addictions among university students. The three brief instruments used for assessing
addictions to social media, smartphone applications, and online gaming are valid and
psychometrically robust across two Chinese subcultures and can be used by healthcare
professionals in these regions.