Internet Screen Time and Related Factors: Threat to Adolescents in Indonesia

Kristiana Kurniasanti,Martina Wiwie,Tjhin Wiguna,Raden Ismail,Karina Firdaus,Hans Christian

doi:10.7454/hubs.asia.1070819

Abstract

The widespread use of the internet has produced both positive and negative impacts. Among the latter is internet addiction (IA). The worldwide prevalence of this addiction has been measured at approximately 6%, although the specific prevalence in Indonesia is uncertain because no validated instrument to measure IA has been developed for the Indonesian context. Hence, screen time was used in this study as an alternative measure of the magnitude of IA in Indonesia, where more than 6 hours is considered risk for IA. Researchers measured internet screen time (IST) and potential related factors in adolescents. The subjects of this cross-sectional study were 200 junior and senior high school students in Jakarta, Indonesia, who completed a questionnaire assessing IST and related factors. IST duration was divided into two categories: short (<6 hours/day) and long (>6 hours/day). Out of 200 students, 68 (34%) had long ISTs, with related factors being senior high education, positive perception of IA, and excessive body mass index. The percentage of students with long ISTs was quite high. A valid and reliable diagnostic tool for IA is a necessity. Prompt prevention is necessary to prevent adolescent IA, especially in higher-risk adolescents.

Highlights

In the contemporary world, the internet plays an essential role in a large part of the world’s population, who use it for seeking information, communication, and pleasure (Anderson, Steen, & Stavropoulos, 2017)
In order to evaluate subject’s internet screen time (IST), each participant was asked to complete a self-report questionnaire which included, aside for IST, demographic data, main internet access, internet cost per months, sleeping time, body mass index (BMI), type of activities done through internet, and insight into subjects’ own internet usage
Another study found that internet usage of more than 5 hours daily was associated with a 2.6 times greater risk of internet addiction (IA) overuse compared to internet use of less than 2 hours per day (Boonvisudhi & Kuladee, 2017)

Summary

Introduction

The internet plays an essential role in a large part of the world’s population, who use it for seeking information, communication, and pleasure (Anderson, Steen, & Stavropoulos, 2017). Propelled by increasing demand around the world, the development of the internet is moving at an incredible speeds. According to data from Internet World Stats, almost 49.5% of the world population are internet users. Asia has the most internet users of any continent, with 48.7% of its population, totaling more than 2 billion people, including such countries such as South Korea, Japan, and Indonesia (Group, 2018). In Indonesia, a study conducted by Indonesia Internet Service Provider Association found that the penetration number of internet users reached approximately 143 million, meaning that 54.68% of the Indonesian population had access to the internet

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Conclusion