A House of Commons committee has announced plans to investigate the growth of “immersive and addictive technologies”, to advise the government on how to create policy and regulation that can protect the public from the negative effects of digitisation and “gamification”.

The digital, culture, media and sport (DCMS) committee, which is nearing the end of a multiyear investigation into fake news – which has encompassed the Cambridge Analytica scandal, online privacy policies, regulation of electoral campaigning and the general data protection regulation – will lead the inquiry.

It follows a growing campaign against deliberately addictive mechanics in technology and video games, particularly the crossover with gambling represented by “loot boxes” – randomised rewards sold in games for real money.

The links between gaming and gambling is one of the key points to be investigated by the committee, which will ask: “What are the effects of in-game spending, especially on children, and does it need stronger monitoring or regulation?”

Games such as Fifa, Overwatch and Call of Duty have been criticised for the practice, which has led to reports of primary school-age children spending almost £500 on Fifa players and getting into the habit of spending £15 a week on pseudo-gambling.

Other games, such as the popular multiplayer shooter Fortnite, do not contain the gambling mechanics but have been criticised for being unhealthily habit-forming, particularly among children.

Damian Collins, who chairs the committee, said the investigation was intended to lead to outline regulations that could guard individuals from negative effects without unduly harming a growing industry.

“We’re seeing industries emerge that offer enormous potential for growth such as esports and gaming where the UK is rightly regarded as a world leader in production,” he said.

“We’ll be looking at what action is needed to ensure we remain a key player. Technology such as virtual reality and augmented reality is already an important to asset to the film industry, simulated training and gaming. We want to understand more about its potential and the future impact it could have on society.”

Collins added: “During our recent inquiries, the committee has heard repeated concerns about the impact to society of the increasing amounts of time that people spend immersed in online worlds, and the potentially addictive nature of social media and gaming. We want to explore these concerns during this inquiry and consider what the right response should be in setting public policy for the future.”

Addiction and compulsive behaviour extends beyond gaming. Facebook and Twitter have been criticised for encouraging habit-forming behaviour by adopting slot-machine-like design that provides a dopamine rush to users, encouraging them to come back multiple times a day.

In the course of the committee’s inquiry into fake news, it clashed several times with Facebook. The social network declined repeated requests to make its chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, available to parliament, even after eight other countries joined for an unprecedented “grand committee” in November.

The DCMS committee obtained hundreds of internal emails from the company that had been released under court seal in the US, eventually publishing a selection under parliamentary privilege.