Prevalence and determinants of Internet addiction among adolescents

BackgroundGlobally, it is agreed that the internet can serve as a tool that enhances well-being but there is no consensus regarding what constitutes problematic internet use and internet use relationship with offline behavioural addictions. This study was conducted to investigate the prevalence of Internet addiction (IA) among adolescents and to determine whether it is a distinct disorder from offline behavioural addictions.MethodsUsing survey design, a total of 1022 University adolescents comprising undergraduates and postgraduates were selected using stratified random sampling. Data were collected using the Revised Internet Addiction Test (RIAT), a questionnaire made up of EPQR-S Lie Scale, Internet Addiction Test (IAT), Internet Use Reasons, Hypersexual Behaviour Inventory and Problem Video Game Playing Scale.ResultsThere was prevalence of IA among the adolescents; the prevalence rate was 3.3%, in a male to female ratio of approximately 3:1. Adolescents’ online addiction was mainly influenced by extrinsic reasons for internet use, although there were few whose reasons for going online were mainly intrinsic. Using the internet to communicate on important matters, getting sex-oriented materials, and making money (especially amongst females) seemed to dominate addicts’ minds; thus, majority were ‘addicts on the internet’ and not ‘addicts to the internet’.ConclusionsOffline behavioural addictions was not an IA causal factor but rather a motivating factor, while intrinsic reasons for internet use was not found to be a reliable factor for distinguishing addicts from non-addicts.     

Gender-related consequences of Internet use perceived by parents in a representative quota sample of adolescents

Only few studies have investigated gender differences in consequences of adolescent Internet use in a general population sample. In this study, we surveyed a representative German quota sample of N=1744 adolescents aged between 14 and 17 years and their caregivers with standardised questionnaires. Parents’ reports showed significant differences between male and female youth in 8 out of 10 problem areas (summarised in a ‘difficulties index’, Cronbach's alpha=0.89) caused by adolescent Internet use. According to parents’ assessment, male adolescents neglected school obligations and friendships outside the Internet more frequently than female adolescents. Compared to girls, boys spent more time and money using the Internet, regarded media use as more important, set wrong priorities in selecting online content, and rather ran into cost traps or legal consequences. More parents of boys than of girls observed adverse effects on adolescents’ physical and mental development. Both parents and adolescents consistently reported excessive media use more frequently for boys. By conducting a multiple linear regression analysis for the full sample, approximately one-third (34%) of the variance in the ‘difficulties index’ was explained by frequency of excessive Internet use. The results highlight the importance of gender-related analyses regarding the consequences of adolescent Internet use.     

Cybersex in the “Net generation”: Online sexual activities among Spanish adolescents

The internet offers several opportunities to explore sexuality among adolescents. However, some studies have also revealed problematic effects of cybersex in earlier stages. Despite this, few studies analyze the online sexual behavior among adolescents, even less in Spain where there is very little data. For this reason, our aim is to examine the use of internet for sexual purposes among Spanish adolescents, including gender differences. Three hundred and twenty-two adolescents completed an ad-hoc questionnaire and the Spanish version of the Internet Sex Screening Test. In general, boys report more cybersex than girls do, for example, in masturbating while the Internet (60.6% of boys and 7.3% of girls). In addition, internet sex interferes with lifestyles more frequently in boys (12.7% of them) than in girls (4.7% of them). Moreover, according to linear regression, variables such as general pornography use or oral sex seem to be connected to cybersex for both groups, while same-sex behaviors are more associated with cybersex for boys and masturbation for girls. Therefore, these findings support the existence of cybersex among Spanish adolescents (ranging from 3.1% to 60.6% in boys and 0%–11.5% in girls for some online sexual activities), including certain problematic behaviors (8.6% of boys show a risk profile), and the relevance of gender in its analysis. These results should be considered in prevention and support strategies.     

Indentifying latent classes and testing their determinants in early adolescents' use of computers and Internet for learning

The purpose of the present study was to identify latent classes resting on early adolescents' change trajectory patterns in using computers and the Internet for learning and to test the effects of gender, self-control, self-esteem, and game use in South Korea.Latent growth mixture modeling (LGMM) was used to identify subpopulations in the Korea Youth Panel Survey (KYPS). Initial analyses revealed four latent classes: High Use Class, Increasing Class, Decreasing Class, and Low Use Class. Adding gender, self-control, self-esteem, and game use, we tested the effects of the independent variables on the latent classes using multinomial logistic analysis. Results from the second analyses indicated that gender, self-control, self-esteem, and game use were significant determinants of the latent classes.Findings suggest the need to consider heterogeneity in studies of early adolescents' use of computers and the Internet for learning in order to better target involvement programs.     

Smartphone addiction and associated consequences: role of loneliness and self-regulation

ABSTRACT

The ‘smartphone addiction’ is a popular theme in media. It has number of clear behavioural changes in addicts’ life and some of these aspects are yet to get due research attention. The present study identifies antecedents of smartphone addiction and its associated conflicts. The findings are based on data collected from adolescents, who are major targets for smartphone advertising and also vulnerable to addictions. The findings established ‘loneliness’ and ‘self-regulation’ as the main antecedents for smartphone addiction along with family, personal conflicts and poor academic performance as the significant negative consequences of its excessive use. The study findings would help to create awareness and offer insights for developing effective interventions for addressing smartphone addiction amongst adolescents. The planners, regulatory and administrative authorities will use the study findings to formulate measures that would promote positive coping mechanism to prevent smartphone addiction among adolescents.     

Internet use and psychological well-being among college students: A latent profile approach

Studies of correlations between Internet use and psychological well-being (PW) have produced mixed results. The present study used a latent profile analysis to distinguish among populations in terms of PW profiles, and then used a multinomial logistic regression to determine how online entertainment, social use, problematic Internet use (PIU), and gender predicted each latent PW profile. The initial sample consisted of 757 Taiwanese college freshmen. Four ordered latent groups were established as follows: good PW, normative, minor-disadvantageous, and severe-disadvantageous. No latent PW profile stability was found in subsequent years: three groups (normative, minor-disadvantageous and severe-disadvantageous) emerged in Year 2, and only one group emerged in Year 3. The results indicate (a) no relationship between PW and online entertainment or gender, (b) greater PIU increased the likelihood of disadvantageous PW and decreased the probability of good PW, and (c) greater use of online resources for social purposes was related to increased probability of a participant being in the good PW group, but not associated with fewer PW problems.     

Fear of missing out,need for touch,anxiety and depression are related to problematic smartphone use

Problematic smartphone use is an important public health challenge and is linked with poor mental health outcomes. However, little is known about the mechanisms that maintain this behavior. We recruited a sample of 308 participants from Amazon’s Mechanical Turk labor market. Participants responded to standardized measures of problematic smartphone use, and frequency of smartphone use, depression and anxiety and possible mechanisms including behavioral activation, need for touch, fear of missing out (FoMO), and emotion regulation. Problematic smartphone use was most correlated with anxiety, need for touch and FoMO. The frequency of use was most correlated (inversely) with depression. In regression models, problematic smartphone use was associated with FoMO, depression (inversely), anxiety, and need for touch. Frequency of use was associated with need for touch, and (inversely) with depressive symptoms. Behavioral activation mediated associations between smartphone use (both problematic and usage frequency) and depression and anxiety symptoms. Emotional suppression also mediated the association between problematic smartphone use and anxiety. Results demonstrate the importance of social and tactile need fulfillment variables such as FoMO and need for touch as critical mechanisms that can explain problematic smartphone use and its association with depression and anxiety.     

Spanish validation of the Internet Gaming Disorder-20 (IGD-20) Test

In recent years, problematic and addictive gaming has been a phenomenon of growing concern worldwide. In light of the increasing awareness about this issue, the latest (fifth) edition of the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) included Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) as an area in need of more empirical research. The Internet Gaming Disorder Test (IGD-20 Test) was developed as a valid and reliable tool to assess IGD. The aim of the present study was to validate the Spanish version of the IGD-20 Test, and analyze the different profiles found among a sample of 1074 Spanish-speaking gamers. A confirmatory factor analysis showed the validity of the Spanish version of the IGD-20 Test and its six factor structure (i.e., salience, mood modification, tolerance, withdrawal, conflict and relapse). The latent profile analysis (LPA) showed five different gamer classes. The ‘disordered gamers’ class comprised 2.6% of the participants. Based on this class, sensitivity and specificity analyses showed an adequate empirical cut-off point of 75 (out of 100). It is concluded that the Spanish version of the IGD-20 Test is valid and reliable and can be used in research into IGD among Spanish speaking populations.     

The Media and Technology Usage and Attitudes Scale: An empirical investigation

Current approaches to measuring people’s everyday usage of technology-based media and other computer-related activities have proved to be problematic as they use varied outcome measures, fail to measure behavior in a broad range of technology-related domains and do not take into account recently developed types of technology including smartphones. In the present study, a wide variety of items, covering a range of up-to-date technology and media usage behaviors. Sixty-six items concerning technology and media usage, along with 18 additional items assessing attitudes toward technology, were administered to two independent samples of individuals, comprising 942 participants. Factor analyses were used to create 11 usage subscales representing smartphone usage, general social media usage, Internet searching, e-mailing, media sharing, text messaging, video gaming, online friendships, Facebook friendships, phone calling, and watching television in addition to four attitude-based subscales: positive attitudes, negative attitudes, technological anxiety/dependence, and attitudes toward task-switching. All subscales showed strong reliabilities and relationships between the subscales and pre-existing measures of daily media usage and Internet addiction were as predicted. Given the reliability and validity results, the new Media and Technology Usage and Attitudes Scale was suggested as a method of measuring media and technology involvement across a variety of types of research studies either as a single 60-item scale or any subset of the 15 subscales.     

The relationship of self-perception,personality and high school type with the level of problematic internet use in adolescents

As adolescents spend a substantial part of the day using internet, they constitute one of the risk groups for problematic internet use. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between problematic internet use and the self-perception, personality type, gender of adolescents, and how these relationships varied depending on the type of high school the students attended. This study was conducted with 771 students studying at Anatolian high schools, science high schools, arts high schools, vocational high schools for girls, vocational technical high schools, trade vocational high schools, and common high schools in the city of Kars, Turkey. In this study, 433 (56.2%) of the participants were girls, while 338 (43.8%) were boys. The forms, scales and questionnaires administered during the study included the Personal Information Form, the Problematic Internet Use Scale, the Self-Perception Scale for Adolescents, and Eysenck's Personality Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using multiple linear regression analysis and the one way ANOVA test. The present study examined whether personality type (extraversion, neuroticism, lie and psychoticism), self-perception (romantic appeal, physical appearance, social acceptance/close friendship, behavioral conduct, athletic competence and job competence), gender, and duration of internet use can predict problematic internet use. Based on the study results, it was observed that gender, duration of internet use, lying type personality, neuroticism, psychoticism, romantic appeal, physical appearance and behavioral conduct were significant predictors of problematic internet use, while positive attributes such as extraversion, athletic competence, job competence, and social acceptance/close friendship were not. Moreover, it was determined that the type of high school led to significant differences with regards to problematic internet use among students, and that students at technical high school were more prone to problematic internet use.     

Smartphone habit and behavior in Brunei: Personalization,gender, and generation gap

A smartphone is a device which offers advanced technologies, functions similarly to a computer, supports multitasking and makes it easy to remain connected with others. The following survey design research examined the usage patterns of smartphone users across different demographics. The results of this study provide insights into the prevalence of respondents’ usage of smartphones and their habits and behavior related to smartphone use itself especially among the younger generation of social disorders such as nomophobia and phubbing. In addition to documenting the experience of smartphone users, the research also examines personality patterns related to smartphone usage, the trends of different age groups, and the effects of gender preferences.     

Gender differences in internet usage and task preferences

Although there has been much publicity about the Internet, empirical research focusing on it is still relatively sparse. Much of the existent research on the internet has been predicated upon data collected in Europe and America. To date, there is a dearth of published studies on the internet in the Asian context. This study examines gender differences in internet usage in Singapore, a small island of 650 square kilometres in south-east Asia. Data were collected on internet users via a questionnaire survey placed on the World Wide Web. 1370 usable responses were received, of which 89% were males and 11% were females. Gender differences in terms of the demographic profile of internet users, usage patterns, task preferences and factors affecting an enjoyable Internet experience are examined.     

Relationships among smartphone addiction,anxiety, and family relations

Smartphones have become ubiquitous in people’s lives to an extent that necessitates the investigation of their negative impact. The scarcity of such investigations triggered our interest in examining the relationships among smartphone addiction, anxiety, and family relations. A total of 381 university students participated in an online survey composed of demographic information, the Smartphone Addiction Scale – Short Version, and the Beck Anxiety Inventory. Binary logistic regression analysis and structural equation modelling showed that undergraduate students who had smartphone addiction demonstrated greater odds of having high anxiety compared to those who were not addicted, and students who had high anxiety exhibited greater odds of having clinically significant problems in their family relations. Nevertheless, path analysis showed that anxiety mediated a positive relationship between smartphone addiction and problematic family relations.     

Helpful-stressful cycle? Psychological links between type of mobile phone user and stress

The profusion of smartphones allows more people to have access to a telephone, a computer and the Internet, all via one device. Despite this convenience, excessive usage and habitual checking can cause significant stress for smartphone users. A helpful-stressful cycle is beginning to emerge as a pattern. With this in mind, we develop a model that examines the differences between smartphone and traditional mobile phone users with regard to the relationships between four psychological factors: locus of control (LOC), social interaction anxiety (SIA), need for touch (NFT) and materialism. Our examination explores this in the context of the level of stress these two types of users experience when using their chosen phone. The results from our empirical study suggest that user type moderates the aforementioned relationships. The effects of LOC, SIA and NFT on ‘technostress’ are stronger for smartphone users than for traditional mobile phone users. In contrast, materialism is positively related to stress for traditional mobile phone users but not for smartphone users.     

Who are problematic internet users? An investigation of the correlations between problematic internet use and shyness,loneliness, narcissism,aggression and self-perception

This study investigated correlations between university students’ problematic internet use behaviors and shyness, narcissism, loneliness, aggression and self-perception. The participants were 424 students attending seven different faculties of a public university in Turkey; 215 were female and 209 male. Student’s ages ranged between 17 and 23, with a mean of 18.69. The Problematic Internet Use Scale, Shyness Scale, Narcissistic Personality Inventory, UCLA Loneliness Scale, Aggression Questionnaire, Social Comparison Scale and a Personal Data Form were used for data collection. Correlation analysis results showed positive associations between problematic internet use and shyness and aggression. No statistically significant correlation was determined between problematic internet use and narcissism, loneliness or self-perception. The results demonstrate that individuals who are problematic users are shier and more aggressive. Shyness and aggression emerged as significant antecedent variables of problematic internet use. Suggestions are made for further studies in the light of these findings.     

Gender differences in internet usage and task preferences

Although there has been much publicity about the Internet, empirical research focusing on it is still relatively sparse. Much of the existent research on the internet has been predicated upon data collected in Europe and America. To date, there is a dearth of published studies on the internet in the Asian context. This study examines gender differences in internet usage in Singapore, a small island of 650 square kilometres in south-east Asia. Data were collected on internet users via a questionnaire survey placed on the World Wide Web. 1370 usable responses were received, of which 89% were males and 11% were females. Gender differences in terms of the demographic profile of internet users, usage patterns, task preferences and factors affecting an enjoyable Internet experience are examined.     

Academic self-efficacy and academic procrastination as predictors of problematic internet use in university students

Although computers and the internet, indispensable tools in people’s lives today, facilitate life on the one hand, they have brought new risks with them on the other. Internet dependency, or problematic internet use, has emerged as a new concept of addiction. Parallel to this increasing in society in general, it is also on the rise among university students and is widely believed to have a negative impact on their lives. The aim of this study was to investigate whether academic self-efficacy and academic procrastination can act as predictors of problematic internet use among university students. The study group consisted of 398 students attending education, medicine, architecture and economics programs at the Karadeniz Technical University in Turkey. The Problematic Internet Use Scale, Academic Self-efficacy Scale, Academic Procrastination Scale and a Personal Data Form were used as scaling instruments. Pearson’s correlation coefficient, multiple regression analysis, independent samples t-test and one-way ANOVA were used to analyze the data collected. The results show a significant negative correlation between academic self-efficacy and problematic internet use, while the relation between problematic internet use and academic procrastination was not statistically significant. Furthermore, academic self-efficacy was determined to be a significant predictor of problematic internet use. The results also show a significant difference in problematic internet use in terms of students’ programs, though levels of problematic internet use did not differ in terms of sex or ownership of a computer. These findings are discussed in the light of the relevant literature and some new directions for further studies are suggested.     

Permanently online – Permanently connected: Explorations into university students’ use of social media and mobile smart devices

BackgroundWith the availability of mobile smart devices, many adolescents have developed the habit of being online and connected with other users almost all the time.ObjectiveThe aim of this paper is to provide a definition of being permanently online (PO) and permanently connected (PC) and to explore students’ current PO/PC behaviors.MethodsAn online survey was conducted with 178 university students in Germany to explore the intensity of their PO/PC behaviors in various social situations, the differences in being PO and being PC, students’ feelings about a possible loss of Internet access, and their online responding behaviors. We also shed some light on the associations between being PO/PC and various aspects of well-being, as well as between PO/PC and demographics and lifestyle.ResultsSmart device usage behaviors at night and behaviors in various social situations during the day indicate that PO and PC behaviors are occurring frequently. The results show that being connected to others (PC) seems to be more relevant to the participants than browsing the web (PO). Moreover, the participants expressed strong emotional responses about a temporary loss of Internet access. Coping behaviors in response to increasing number of incoming messages and permanent availability are reported.ConclusionThis exploratory study demonstrates the relevance of the concepts of being PO and PC to students, and points out further research gaps.     

Specific smartphone uses and how they relate to anxiety and depression in university students: a cross-cultural perspective

ABSTRACT

People around the world spend hours of their daily lives using smartphones; therefore, it is important to conduct cross-cultural research on the effects of smartphone use on health and well-being as culture influences values, motivations and communication patterns. The purpose of this study was to explore 5 popular uses of the smartphone – messaging, browsing the Internet, posting social content, reading social content, and playing games – how they relate to anxiety and depression scores, and how they vary depending on the country of the participants: Spain, the United States, and Colombia. In all three countries the ranking of most popular uses was the same: (1) Messaging, (2) Reading social content, and (3) Browsing the Internet. In the USA, game playing contributed to anxiety scores whereas reading social content was a protective factor; regarding depression scores, text messaging was a contributing factor. In Spain, browsing the Internet contributed to anxiety scores; regarding depression scores, messaging was a contributing factor and posting social content was a protective factor. In Colombia, no specific use influenced anxiety scores; regarding depression scores, only game playing was a protective factor. Our results showed that in all the countries, problematic smartphone use contributed to anxiety scores.     

Internet addiction among adolescents in Lebanon

Internet addiction has been a subject of research since 1996. In step with this trend, this study aims to illuminate Internet addiction in Lebanon based on research evidence. The timing of this study coincides with the growing rate of penetration of Internet service across the country and with current plans to improve this service. This study investigates Internet usage among adolescents, who are the most vulnerable to Internet addiction in the population. Permission to access schools to conduct this research was obtained from the Ministry of Education and Higher Education. A web-based questionnaire was completed by 833 intermediate and secondary students from public and private schools. The questionnaire included items on demographic information and Internet usage and an Arabic version of Young’s Internet Addiction Test (YIAT). The results showed that 4.2% of the sample had significant problems. Furthermore, the more problematic Internet use (PIU) was, the less the Internet was used for information and research, and the more it was used for entertainment. PIU is driven by deficiency needs fuelled by the use of interactive applications. The more deficient the need, the greater the obsession with top-notch interactive applications, and the less frequent the usage of non-interactive applications.