Uni.lu today released the findings of a recent study conducted by the University on the nature and intensity of Internet usage.
The study was conducted in summer and autumn of 2014 by Dr. Andrea König and Dr. Georges Steffgen from the Psychology Department of the University of Luxembourg. The research, led on behalf of the BEE SECURE initiative which promotes the safe use of information and communication technology, was developed through a survey of 265 children and adolescents aged 10 to 21.
The study is the first to demonstrate how Luxembourg's youth is beginning to use the Internet at an earlier and earlier age, reporting that from the age of 14, 80% of young people are already online at least 5-6 days a week. The report also found that almost half of under thirteen-year-olds have a Facebook account, despite this being in direct contradiction with the age limit stated in the social network's terms of use.
In addition, the study demonstrated the extensive use by young people of internet on the go. Smartphones were found to be the most important and frequently used device for Internet access among young people, with 71.3% using one daily or almost daily. 46.6% of respondents were found to use a personal PC such as a desktop or laptop every day, with only 17.3% sharing a PC with other family members. This denotes a significant degree of autonomy and liberation in how young people use the Internet.
It was for this last reason that the study was developed in collaboration with the 'BEE Balanced' campaign, as a means of creating awareness of the dangers inherent in excessive Internet usage from an early age. One in ten respondents exhibited a pattern of behaviour which could be classified as dysfunctional, and prolonged use was found to foster a fixation on the Internet and a disinterest in other forms of leisure activity.
Boys were found to harbour more interest in online games, with girls spending more time in online 'social communities'. The permanent availability of mobile devices was reported to lead quickly to repetitive habits of constantly checking to see what is new, responding to messages and commenting over long periods of time.
König and Steffgen's study also revealed the potentially dangerous nature of young people's Internet usage. 51.8% of respondents had seen sexually-explicit images online in the last twelve months, with girls reporting feeling more affected by it than boys. This content often reaches young eyes in the form of website pop-ups, originally intended for adults but with no filter to determine audience.
Interestingly, 31.8% of respondents who exhibited no addictive behaviour and were therefore determined as having a normal form of Internet use, stated that they wished to reduce the time they spend online, and reported attempts to do so.
Photo by Uni.lu (Graph representing average age of first contact with the Internet)
