Internet and Socialization: How Internet use influences online and offline relationships

Objectives. According to the literature, it is not yet clear whether the digital natives' use of Internet represents a risk or a resource. This study aimed to investigate the relationships between Internet use and the emotional and social offline dynamics. Specifically, we hypothesised that high versus low problematic use of internet was associated with students’ social adjustment. We expected to find that students with high problematic use of internet show more social, behavioural, and emotional problems than students with low problematic use of internet. Material and methods. Participants were 177 students from 4 middle schools in Central Italy, aged 11 to 15 (50% females). Five questionnaires were administered: the Child Behavior CheckList (CBCL) to measure social, emotional and behavioural problems, the Crozier Shyness Questionnaire to measure shyness and the UCLA Loneliness Scale to measure loneliness. For internet misuse we used the Generalized Problematic Internet Use Scale and 3 questions to assess activities and time spent on the internet. Results. The higher the preference for online interactions of the Internet adopted by students to regulate mood, the higher the internalization problems recorded. Moreover, the higher preference for online social interactions adopted by students and the negative outcomes due to the Internet use, the higher the externalization problems displayed. Conclusions. Consistently with the literature our results seem to confirm the negative effect of the internet misuse on socio-emotional features. We discuss the relationship between internet use (related to mood regulation, negative social consequences and preference for online interactions) and social-emotional adjustmen

Internet addiction: a systematic review of epidemiological research for the last decade

In the last decade, Internet usage has grown tremendously on a global scale. The increasing popularity and frequency of Internet use has led to an increasing number of reports highlighting the potential negative consequences of overuse. Over the last decade, research into Internet addiction has proliferated. This paper reviews the existing 68 epidemiological studies of Internet addiction that (i) contain quantitative empirical data, (ii) have been published after 2000, (iii) include an analysis relating to Internet addiction, (iv) include a minimum of 1000 participants, and (v) provide a full-text article published in English using the database Web of Science. Assessment tools and conceptualisations, prevalence, and associated factors in adolescents and adults are scrutinised. The results reveal the following. First, no gold standard of Internet addiction classification exists as 21 different assessment instruments have been identified. They adopt official criteria for substance use disorders or pathological gambling, no or few criteria relevant for an addiction diagnosis, time spent online, or resulting problems. Second, reported prevalence rates differ as a consequence of different assessment tools and cut-offs, ranging from 0.8% in Italy to 26.7% in Hong Kong. Third, Internet addiction is associated with a number of sociodemographic, Internet use, and psychosocial factors, as well as comorbid symptoms and disorder in adolescents and adults. The results indicate that a number of core symptoms (i.e., compulsive use, negative outcomes and salience) appear relevant for diagnosis, which assimilates Internet addiction and other addictive disorders and also differentiates them, implying a conceptualisation as syndrome with similar etiology and components, but different expressions of addictions. Limitations include the exclusion of studies with smaller sample sizes and studies focusing on specific online behaviours. Conclusively, there is a need for nosological precision so that ultimately those in need can be helped by translating the scientific evidence established in the context of Internet addiction into actual clinical practice

School Connectedness: Using School Websites to Foster a Sense of Belonging in School

The current study explored the relationships between adolescents\u27 internet use, feelings of school connectedness, social anxiety, and interest in the school\u27s website. Participants were 8th (n = 121) and 11th (n = 71) grade students from a rural upstate New York, middle and high school. Data was collected using the Social Use of the Internet Survey, which was designed to measure participants\u27 internet use, interest in the school\u27s website, feelings of school connectedness and loneliness. No significant mean differences were present between the 8th and 11th grade groups on school connectedness and on interest in the school\u27s website. Multiple regression analysis showed that for both 8th and 11th grade samples, loneliness was a significant negative predictor of school connectedness. School connectedness and school contact via e-mail were significant predictors of school website interest among the 8 n grade sample, while in the 1 1th grade sample, being bullied was a significant predicator of school website interest. The qualitative findings of this study provide the school with valuable information regarding students\u27 interest in using their school website, participants\u27 preferred online activities and opinions of their school website

A Comparative Analysis of Chinese and American Cinematic Depictions of the Female Adolescent Life Transition

The thesis examines the representation through film of the ways social systems in Western and Eastern societies impact female adolescents’ growth. My study focuses on the transition from childhood to adolescence, from a relatively naive state to a reflective state of mind, filled with uncertainty about oneself and the future. In this process, there are emotions of confusion, insecurity, struggle, anxiety, and intergenerational conflicts. Some crucial factors such as friendships, family relationships, and societal pressures are influential in adolescents\u27 formation of their personalities. This transformational process is universal across all cultures, as every adolescent experiences the transition from youth to adulthood. However, different cultures have different educational concepts and place different expectations on adolescents, bearing upon the individual\u27s experience of this transition. This study consists of a comparative analysis of four films, focusing on the differences in views on education, teen psychology, and child-rearing practices in China and the United States

ANTECEDENTS AND IMPACT OF INTERNET ADDICTION AMONG INDIAN COLLEGE STUDENTS IN KERALA, INDIA

The present generation of Indian adolescents relies heavily on the Internet which has become an integral part of every Indian college student’s daily routine. As with other developing countries, adolescents and college students in India are dependent on the Internet for both educational and non-educational purposes. Not surprisingly then, Internet addiction has become an increasingly serious societal problem but one which unfortunately has attracted little or no research interest within the Indian context. The present study has been designed to address this issue by investigating how Internet addiction-related behaviors may vary as a function of Indian college students’ perception of their parents’ parenting styles and their emotive states (depression, anxiety, stress), and subsequently, how such Internet addiction-related behaviors may influence their well-being (psychological well-being, loneliness, and academic performance). Overall, the findings from the present study indicate that the parenting styles of mothers and fathers in Kerala, India have differential influences on their children’s psychological well-being, academic performance, and loneliness. The implications of these findings are discussed with reference to the cultural nuances and parameters that circumscribe the Indian college student’s family life

The impact of the abuse of electronic games in children and adolescents: scoping review

Introdução: O crescente desenvolvimento tecnológico permitiu que a indústria de videogames alcançasse mais usuários, predominantemente usuários mais jovens e mais vulneráveis. Neste contexto, o distúrbio do jogo (GD) foi recentemente incluído na Nova Classificação Internacional de Doenças (CID-11). A importância deste estudo reside na necessidade de compreender melhor os impactos do GD em crianças e adolescentes. Metodologia: Este é um estudo de Scoping Review, escrito de acordo com a extensão Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses for Scoping Reviews ( Lista de verificação PRISMA-ScR). Foi utilizada a base de dados da Biblioteca Cochrane (Cochrane), onde foram localizadas 332 referências bibliográficas, das quais 9 foram selecionadas. Resultados e discussão: O estudo reuniu evidências sobre Epidemiologia, Etiologia, Fisiopatologia, Quadro Clínico, Diagnóstico e Diagnóstico Diferencial, Tratamento e Prognóstico da DG em adolescentes e crianças. Conclusão: Foi identificada uma prevalência mundial de 1,96% de DG e vários fatores de risco. O diagnóstico é feito pelos critérios do DSM-5. Existem também escalas para orientar o diagnóstico, sendo a mais utilizada a IGDS9-SF. Os principais impactos foram: ansiedade, depressão, agressividade, impulsividade, baixa autoestima, angústia, instabilidade emocional, isolamento, alterações de humor, sono e alimentação. O tratamento de escolha é a psicoterapia, embora medicamentos psicoativos possam ser usados para ansiedade e TDAH

Children of the internet: An investigation into the associations between social media use, gaming, and young people’s mental health

In the context of rapid development of digital technologies and the COVID-19 pandemic, young people are increasingly socialising online. Concerns about time spent on social media and/or gaming are prominent in public discourse. These concerns commonly relate to young people’s mental health, with the suggestion that high levels of social media and gaming use might contribute to poor mental health. However, some research indicates that social media and gaming use is associated with higher social connectedness and social capital. There is a lack of longitudinal research that investigates the relationship between social media use/gaming and mental health and psychosocial outcomes. This longitudinal study aims to explore these relationships in a sample of adolescents aged 11-18, across two time points. Regression analyses are used to explore associations between social media use and measures of depression, social connectedness, and social capital. The same analyses are also used to explore associations between time spent gaming and these variables. Findings indicate that higher social media use in particular is associated with lower social connectedness and higher depressive symptomology, in both cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. Findings for gaming use show weaker associations with depression and social variables

The Relationship Between Isolation and Social Emotional Experiences in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Children with ASD often face socioemotional challenges compared to their typical developing classmates (Chamberlain et al., 2006; Deckers et al., 2017; Liu et al., 2021; Locke et al, 2010; Zeedyk et al., 2015). The objective of the current study was to assess the relationship between classroom isolation and social emotional experiences (i.e., social isolation, loneliness, self-efficacy with peers, and friendship quality) in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) through self-report surveys in order to foster the best possible academic environment for children with ASD to succeed and create outlets for further research to be developed in regards to this subject. It was hypothesized that children with ASD who are isolated from their peers by being placed in a separate, non-typical classroom setting for longer periods of time (e.g., years vs. months) would feel more isolated and lonely, and have lower perceptions of self-efficacy, and friendship quality. The present study contained four scales assessing social emotional experiences employed on an online, anonymous survey. Analyses of variance (ANOVAs) were used to assess differences between groups of participants based on degree of isolation from the mainstream classroom and the dependent variables feelings of isolation, loneliness, self-efficacy with peers, and friendship quality. While findings of the current study did not exhibit differences between groups on feelings of isolation, loneliness, self-efficacy with peers, and friendship quality specific to conflict and compassion, results of the study did reveal that the longer participants were isolated from the mainstream classroom, the greater sense of friendship and closeness they experienced. Future research is needed to better understand how isolation relates to psychosocial experiences in children with ASD