Abstract:

Abstract: The purpose of this descriptive study was to investigate the levels of internet addiction among middle school students and the contributing factors. The data required for the research were collected online between 16 December 2022-10 March 2023. The study group of the research consisted of middle school students. Online survey method, socio-demographic data collection form and Internet Addiction Scale (IAD) were used from 210 middle school students who voluntarily participated in the collection of research data and were selected by convenience sampling method, one of the improbable sampling methods, with written consent from their parents. SPSS 26.0 data analysis program was used in the statistical analysis of the data obtained in the study, and independent sample t-test and ANOVA analysis were used in the analysis of the data. 52.2% of the participating middle school students are boys and 47.8% are girls. It was determined that there was no significant difference (p>.05) in the scores of the sub-dimensions (deprivation, difficulty in control, impaired functioning and social isolation) of the internet addiction scale according to their gender, and there was a significant difference (p<.05) between the sub-dimensions according to age and grade levels, except for the control difficulty score, which is one of the sub-dimensions. It was determined that gender had no effect on internet addiction, however criteria such as age and social status did. It is proposed that middle school students receive training on the effective and healthy use of the internet, and that research be performed on the prevalence of internet addiction and its contributing causes

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