Profiles of Internet Use and Health in Adolescence: A Person-Oriented Approach

Abstract

(1) Background: Internet use has become an integral part of adolescents’ daily lives. It is important to understand how adolescents use the internet, and how this use is associated with demographic factors and health from a person-oriented perspective. (2) Methods: The study applied the Finnish nationally representative HBSC data (persons aged 11, 13, and 15, n = 3408), descriptive observation, latent class analysis, and multinomial logistic regression analysis. (3) Results: Entertainment activities (listening to music) and socially oriented activities (liking posts, talking online) were the most prevalent among adolescents, but gender differences emerged. Five different internet user profiles were identified (encompassing interest-driven, friendship-driven, abstinent, irregular, and excessive users). Interest-driven users participated in interest- and media-oriented activities. Adolescents in the interest-driven user group were more likely to be boys and participants with low academic achievement, high parental monitoring, and high problematic social media use. Friendship-driven users participated in socially oriented activities. Adolescents in the friendship-driven user group were more likely to be girls and participants aged 13 or 15, with high peer and family support. Abstinent users participated only in entertainment, while irregular users showed no particularly high involvement in any internet activity. Adolescents in the abstinent and irregular user groups were likely to be boys and participants aged 11 with high family support. Excessive users had high involvement in internet activities overall. Adolescents in the excessive user group were more likely to be participants with high problematic social media use and were most likely to feel low and tired on school mornings. (4) Conclusion: The study confirmed the prevalence of internet use. It identified five internet user profiles and differences between user profiles regarding individual and social factors and health outcomes.

Predictors of Problematic Social Media Use in a Nationally Representative Sample of Adolescents in Luxembourg

“…This result was particularly relevant for Luxembourg, where a vast percentage of the population has a migration background, and should be considered in efforts to prevent PSMU in Luxembourg. Although not an important direct predictor of PSMU, gender nonetheless plays an important role in shaping social media behavior as boys and girls tend to have different motives and purposes for using social media, and display different types of internet use in general [12,52,53]. Gender can, as such, influence the behavior adolescents engage in on social media and, through this, their susceptibility to media effects can be affected.…”

Problematic Internet Use Among Adolescent Male and Female Psychiatric Inpatients: A Gender Perspective

“…These include new forms of leisure activity (e.g. online computer gaming, online shopping, video and music streaming), alteration in interpersonal communication (brief verbal communication with visual focus in social networking platforms) as well as a widespread implementation into educational and work-related fields [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12].…”

Perception of Internet Use in Relation to Health Decision-Making among Nursing Students

“…The use of the Internet and information technologies (ICTs) in today's society has become indispensable for young university students, as it offers them ease and speed when searching for information and obtaining new knowledge, and allows them to make decisions about their daily lives and health [1]. Additionally, it allows them not only social interaction on a group level, but also a broad socio-cultural vision as well as intergenerational communication on a global level through social networks [2].…”

“…Social networks have become the avenue for social interaction due to the compulsory confinement that led to the modification of multiple social interactions, routines, work and education, allowing us to be in contact with the people around us without the need to share time and space [2]. The need for the network during this period has led to a false need in society to be connected to the Internet for a large part of the day, to take asynchronous classes or to telework, without fixed work or break times to satisfy social interaction needs [11].…”