Abstract
This study explored the profiles of elementary-school-aged children’s Internet use in relation to their emotional and behavioral problems. Participating in this cross-sectional study were 877 child–parent dyads from Latvia, Lithuania, and Taiwan. Children (8–10 years old) provided information on three variables: the amount of time they spent online, frequency of online activities, and knowledge of how to do things online. Latent profile analysis including these three variables provided a four-class solution for child Internet use. A comparison between Latvia, Lithuania, and Taiwan on the percentage of the sample distribution in each class showed that there was no difference between sites for the high class (high ratings on all three variables). The largest differences were for the low and average classes (low and average ratings on all three variables, namely, time online, frequency, and knowledge): the Lithuanian and Taiwanese samples were similar in that a higher percentage of each sample was in the low class, whereas the Latvian sample had children equally distributed between the low class and the average class. Analysis of the data from the entire sample for differences in parent-reported child behavioral difficulties suggested that children in the high class had an elevated level of behavioral problems and compulsive Internet use.
Highlights
The Internet has become an important part of our daily lives, and both children and adults are experiencing the ubiquitous nature of the Internet
The research questions of this study were as follows: Can we identify different Internet use classes by frequency, knowledge, and time in a sample of children aged 8 to 10 years old? Does the proportion of children in each class differ in Lithuania, Latvia, and Taiwan? Are there differences in the ratings of emotional symptoms, behavioral problems, and compulsive Internet use (CIU) between children from different classes? In this study, we hypothesized that there would be several classes that would differ in their Internet use profile according to frequency, knowledge, and time
In an examination of CIU by class, we found that the high knowledge and high Internet use class had the highest levels in comparison to the other classes, while the low class had the lowest level of CIU
Summary
The Internet has become an important part of our daily lives, and both children and adults are experiencing the ubiquitous nature of the Internet. Various forms of digital technology surround children in their home, school, or public places, and they are using the Internet with increasing frequency at very young ages (starting in infancy) [1]. At present in many countries, it is almost imperative that parents buy home computers or other digital devices and subscribe to the Internet in order to provide their children with tools that are necessary for educational engagement. Children often engage with digital devices for other types of activity as well, such as social networking and playing video games. The increasing amount of time that children are engaged with digital devices raises questions about the impact of these activities on their psychological well-being. Public Health 2020, 17, 8490; doi:10.3390/ijerph17228490 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: International journal of environmental research and public health
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
