Internet use among Maltese adolescents : an exploratory study

Abstract

This study examines Internet use patterns among Maltese adolescents. It mainly explores the amount of time participants spend on the Internet, the online activities which are most popular among adolescents and the effect that Internet use has on depression, social isolation and living patterns. This study is carried out from a social and developmental psychology perspective and a quantitative approach is adopted using a questionnaire that could be accessed via a website designed specifically for the scope of the study. A snowball sample was used composed of 164 males and 81 females between the ages of 11 and 16. The main findings of this study showed that the majority of participants have excessive Internet use and while online they engage mostly in chatting, emailing and browsing for information. The study also found significant relationships between Internet use and social isolation but no correlations between Internet use and depression. Excessive Internet use proved to result in certain academic, social and lifestyle changes with excessive Internet use being correlated to traits of lnternet addiction.