| Abstract [eng] |
Naugžemytė R. The use of the internet by primary school children and its relation to children's emotional and behavioral difficulties. Master's thesis in psychology. Scientific adviser: prof. dr. Vilmantė Pakalniškienė, Vilnius University: Vilnius, 2023, p. 53 In the scientific literature, Internet use has primarily been studied among older children and adolescents, with relatively few studies focusing on younger children. The objective of this study is to investigate the relationship between Internet use and emotional and behavioral difficulties among elementary school children. The data collected in 2018 were analyzed to achieve this goal. Upon analyzing the Internet usage patterns and characteristics of elementary school children, it was discovered that parents are more inclined to believe that their children use the Internet compulsively compared to their children's own perception. Parents tend to overestimate the extent to which their children use the Internet, in contrast to the children's own responses. Additionally, boys self-report higher levels of Internet usage compared to girls. Regarding the association between Internet use and emotional and behavioral difficulties among elementary school children, the study revealed that, according to the children's perspectives, the duration of their Internet use is not correlated with the emotional and behavioral difficulties they experience. Similarly, parents' perceptions indicated no connection between their children's Internet use and the emotional and behavioral difficulties they face. However, both children and parents acknowledged that compulsive Internet use is linked to behavioral and emotional difficulties in children. Keywords: behavioral difficulties, emotional difficulties, Internet use, elementary school children. |
