Since technology has advanced, the internet has become a vital component of our life in every aspect. It is evident that modern individuals use the internet to effortlessly fulfill their information demands and do daily tasks like communication, entertainment, daily job, financial transactions, and meetings. People spend the majority of their days on the internet because of its enabling features, and this excessive use can become “addiction-like.” The global social media agency “We are Social,” with its headquarters located in the UK, released data from 17 countries in the 2021 Digital Report (We Are Social, 2021).
According to the report, The number of internet users rose by 7.3% to 4.66 billion, and the number of social media users increased by 13% to 4.2 billion, in comparison to the previous year. Approximately 60% of the world’s population consists of these numbers. According to reports, teens and young adults—particularly those between the ages of 16 and 24—are more likely to use the internet excessively. An average internet user now logs on for six hours and forty-four minutes per day.
The proportion of young people in India is rising and currently stands at about thirty percent. Youths are growing more and more vulnerable to cyber addiction due to the advancement of communication technology and easy access to the internet, which is impeding their emotional development. In light of this, the main goal of the current study is to investigate the connection between young people’s emotional development and internet addiction. When someone is addicted to the Internet, they allow other aspects of their lives (including relationships, employment, or health) to suffer as a result of their obsessive need to spend a lot of time online. In order to get the same “high,” the individual grows reliant on using the Internet and needs to spend an increasing amount of time online.The term “Internet addiction” can be used to describe a variety of behaviors. Net addiction and Internet addiction disorder (IAD) are other names for this problem.
Scholarly investigations about internet addiction and its effects on several psychological dimensions in teenagers have demonstrated a negative influence on their emotional development and additional behavioral issues.
Read More: Internet Addiction in Children: The New Age Epidemic
A sample of 237 upper secondary students from various non missionary, CBSE schools in Bhopal was obtained. The standardized measures of emotional development and internet addiction were applied. The study utilized single factor between group designs for both descriptive and inferential analysis. The results of the study showed a strong correlation between loss of independence and internet addiction. Pupils with high internet addiction scores also scored highly on the lack of independence component. There was no significant correlation found between internet addiction and the other characteristics, which include emotional regression, emotional instability, personality disintegration, and social maladjustment. The survey also looked at other factors, finding that students use their cellphones to access the internet primarily and are extremely active on social networking sites.
The study shed light on the connection between internet use and emotional development, giving parents and educators important knowledge for the child’s overall growth.
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