Abstract

PIQUERAS-RODRIGUEZ, José Antonio; GARCIA-OLIVA, Carlos  and  MARZO, Juan Carlos. Problematic Internet use among adolescents: relationship with gender, age, socioeconomic status, and frequency of Internet use. Acción psicol. [online]. 2019, vol.16, n.2, pp.129-141.  Epub July 25, 2022. ISSN 2255-1271.  https://dx.doi.org/10.5944/ap.16.2.22382.

The common use of the information and communication technologies (ICT) occurs in all groups and sectors, while its greater exposure among adolescents has made us to worry about the negative consequences that may cause in this population. We study the frequency of experiences related to the problematic use of Internet (PIU) in adolescents. The Questionnaire of Experiences Related with Internet (CERI) and ad hoc measures to assess the frequency of Internet use and socio-demographic variables were administered in a sample of 712 adolescents from 12 to 18 years of the province of Alicante (southeast of Spain). The results showed that at least 14.8 % presents elevated scores on PIU. Furthermore, 20.9 % of the sample used Internet more than 4 hours a day, while the 45.4 % makes use Internet daily, and 51 % more than 10 hours a week. We found a significant relationship between PIU and the frequency of daily use, but not between PIU and sociodemographic variables. These data represent a first approach to the phenomenon in our community, which suggests the need for further studies on this emerging phenomenon.

Keywords : Problematic use of Internet; PIU; Internet addiction; Prevalence; Adolescence.

        · abstract in Spanish     · text in Spanish     · Spanish ( pdf )