Most teenagers have no memory of life before the internet. They have grown up in a connected world, and being online has become one of their main sources of learning, entertainment and social.
As many previous studies have pointed out, and as many parents are concerned, this fact does not come without risk. While time on the internet can be informative, informative, and even enjoyable, there is already a great deal of literature about the harm that can be caused by a child internet problem (PIU).
However, a new study led by István Tóth-Király, Horizon’s Postdoctoral Fellow at the substantive-method synergy research lab in the Department of Concordia Psychology, is one of only a few that will examine the impact of PIU on older adolescents. The paper was co-authored by psychology professor Alexandre Morin and Lauri Hietajärvi and Katariina Salmela-Aro from the University of Helsinki.
The paper, published in the journal Child Development, looking at data collected by a longitudinal study of 1,750 high school students in Helsinki over three years.
It begins by asking three big questions: what were some of the PIU predictors or determinants? How did PIU change over late adolescence, in this case, ages 16-19? And what is the impact of PIU among the age group?
Signs at risk
The researchers identified three main PIU findings among adolescents. The first was loneliness, defined as a lack of satisfactory interpersonal relationships or inadequacy of social networks. Other studies of PIU identified loneliness as a predictor.
Parenting practices, as the teenager observed, predicted PIU as well. The researchers looked at both parental care, such as feelings of warmth, empathy, interest and intimacy with the child, and parental neglect, defined as unfair or unresponsive access to the child’s needs.
Not surprisingly, better parenting is associated with lower PIU, while negligent parenting is associated with higher PIU. The researchers noted the differences in how maternal and paternal behavior affected practice.
Maternity care was particularly associated with lower PIU, suggesting that high-quality mother-child relationships may have led to a reduction in the need to overuse the internet. Father’s neglect, on the other hand, had a stronger relationship, with a higher PIU, as a lack of direction and boundaries hindered a teenager’s ability to set personal boundaries.
Finally, the researchers discussed gender. They found boys were more likely to engage in PIU than girls, as they tend to be more likely to behave, are more active and, as suggested by other studies, may have more options. online like gaming or watching YouTube videos or pornography. Girls may be more likely to be online for social reasons.
Cyclical and harmful effects
The researchers then looked at PIU-related outcomes, again identifying three broad categories.
The first is symptoms of depression. If left unchecked, PIU is more likely to lead to higher levels of depression. The two have been linked in previous studies, but Tóth-Király says their findings suggest a new interpretation.
Our study seeks to understand this relationship in a two-way or comparative way. We believe that PIU and depressive symptoms appear to occur together rather than one proving the other. They seem to be consolidating over time. “
István Tóth-Király, Horizon Postdoctoral Fellow, Synergy Substance-Method Research Laboratory, Department of Psychology Concordia
Other PIU-related outcomes are higher levels of substance abuse and lower levels of academic achievement. These were expected, and were believed to occur together.
Tóth-Király says that some teenagers go through a period of heavy internet use, usually around the middle of adolescence. The time spent online tends to go down as the children mature, developing their own goals and boundaries and creating their first romantic relationships. He also said that being online for hours will not hurt, even if it would look too much for parents.
“If teenagers spend a lot of time on the internet but it doesn’t have a significant effect on their mental health or levels or they don’t seem to have serious side effects, we can’t say for sure that behavior This is troublesome, “he says.
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Magazine Reference:
Tóth – Király, I., et al. (2021) Long-term symptoms, social and individual predictions, and consequences of internet problem use among late adolescents. Child Development. doi.org/10.1111/cdev.13525.