Assessing the Relationship Between the Type of Internet Use and Internet Addiction in Early and Middle Adolescents: Cross-Sectional Study From Qatar
BackgroundWith the increasing prevalence of digital technology, adolescent internet addiction (IA) has become a global concern. Excessive internet use, especially among adolescents, has been linked to various negative outcomes such as poor academic performance, social isolati...
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| Format: | Article |
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JMIR Publications
2025-02-01
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| Series: | JMIR Human Factors |
| Online Access: | https://humanfactors.jmir.org/2025/1/e62955 |
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| author | Khansa Chemnad Maryam Aziz Sanaa Al- Harahsheh Azza Abdelmoneium Ahmed Baghdady Diana Alsayed Hassan Raian Ali |
| author_facet | Khansa Chemnad Maryam Aziz Sanaa Al- Harahsheh Azza Abdelmoneium Ahmed Baghdady Diana Alsayed Hassan Raian Ali |
| author_sort | Khansa Chemnad |
| collection | DOAJ |
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BackgroundWith the increasing prevalence of digital technology, adolescent internet addiction (IA) has become a global concern. Excessive internet use, especially among adolescents, has been linked to various negative outcomes such as poor academic performance, social isolation, and mental health issues. Conducted among adolescents of Arab origin, our study addressed the limitations of the literature, which predominantly focuses on Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic populations.
ObjectiveThis study aimed to differentiate between essential and nonessential internet use and how they relate to IA in early and middle adolescents, as well as the relationship between subjective happiness with the amount of time spent on nonessential internet use and IA.
MethodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted among 377 students from 16 schools in Qatar. The survey measured essential and nonessential internet use, subjective happiness with nonessential use, and IA symptoms using the Internet Addiction Diagnostic Questionnaire, as well as participant demographics. To explore age-specific associations, participants were categorized into early (age 11-13 years) and middle (age 14-17 years) adolescents. Factorial analysis, multiple regression, and logistic regression were used for statistical analysis.
ResultsNonessential internet use significantly predicted IA in both early (P<.001) and middle (P<.001) adolescents, with early adolescents showing a stronger association. Subjective happiness with nonessential internet use negatively predicted IA only in middle adolescents (P<.001) as greater dissatisfaction led to a higher IA risk. Essential internet use did not predict IA in either group.
ConclusionsDifferentiating between essential and nonessential internet use is crucial in understanding IA. This study highlights the importance of developmental differences in shaping IA symptoms. The findings suggest that interventions aimed at addressing IA should be age specific and focus on addressing nonessential use specifically rather than considering internet use and screen time in general as a single entity. Cultural and regional factors also play a role in shaping internet use patterns and IA in the Middle East, necessitating context-specific, culturally sensitive approaches to IA prevention. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-0d9a7d9dbb694381bdc0e82388eb6eaa |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2292-9495 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | JMIR Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | JMIR Human Factors |
| spelling | doaj-art-0d9a7d9dbb694381bdc0e82388eb6eaa2025-02-10T19:00:33ZengJMIR PublicationsJMIR Human Factors2292-94952025-02-0112e6295510.2196/62955Assessing the Relationship Between the Type of Internet Use and Internet Addiction in Early and Middle Adolescents: Cross-Sectional Study From QatarKhansa Chemnadhttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-5052-9285Maryam Azizhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-5031-4951Sanaa Al- Harahshehhttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-5307-3412Azza Abdelmoneiumhttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-9773-9167Ahmed Baghdadyhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-5659-1802Diana Alsayed Hassanhttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-3426-2191Raian Alihttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-5285-7829 BackgroundWith the increasing prevalence of digital technology, adolescent internet addiction (IA) has become a global concern. Excessive internet use, especially among adolescents, has been linked to various negative outcomes such as poor academic performance, social isolation, and mental health issues. Conducted among adolescents of Arab origin, our study addressed the limitations of the literature, which predominantly focuses on Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic populations. ObjectiveThis study aimed to differentiate between essential and nonessential internet use and how they relate to IA in early and middle adolescents, as well as the relationship between subjective happiness with the amount of time spent on nonessential internet use and IA. MethodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted among 377 students from 16 schools in Qatar. The survey measured essential and nonessential internet use, subjective happiness with nonessential use, and IA symptoms using the Internet Addiction Diagnostic Questionnaire, as well as participant demographics. To explore age-specific associations, participants were categorized into early (age 11-13 years) and middle (age 14-17 years) adolescents. Factorial analysis, multiple regression, and logistic regression were used for statistical analysis. ResultsNonessential internet use significantly predicted IA in both early (P<.001) and middle (P<.001) adolescents, with early adolescents showing a stronger association. Subjective happiness with nonessential internet use negatively predicted IA only in middle adolescents (P<.001) as greater dissatisfaction led to a higher IA risk. Essential internet use did not predict IA in either group. ConclusionsDifferentiating between essential and nonessential internet use is crucial in understanding IA. This study highlights the importance of developmental differences in shaping IA symptoms. The findings suggest that interventions aimed at addressing IA should be age specific and focus on addressing nonessential use specifically rather than considering internet use and screen time in general as a single entity. Cultural and regional factors also play a role in shaping internet use patterns and IA in the Middle East, necessitating context-specific, culturally sensitive approaches to IA prevention.https://humanfactors.jmir.org/2025/1/e62955 |
| spellingShingle | Khansa Chemnad Maryam Aziz Sanaa Al- Harahsheh Azza Abdelmoneium Ahmed Baghdady Diana Alsayed Hassan Raian Ali Assessing the Relationship Between the Type of Internet Use and Internet Addiction in Early and Middle Adolescents: Cross-Sectional Study From Qatar JMIR Human Factors |
| title | Assessing the Relationship Between the Type of Internet Use and Internet Addiction in Early and Middle Adolescents: Cross-Sectional Study From Qatar |
| title_full | Assessing the Relationship Between the Type of Internet Use and Internet Addiction in Early and Middle Adolescents: Cross-Sectional Study From Qatar |
| title_fullStr | Assessing the Relationship Between the Type of Internet Use and Internet Addiction in Early and Middle Adolescents: Cross-Sectional Study From Qatar |
| title_full_unstemmed | Assessing the Relationship Between the Type of Internet Use and Internet Addiction in Early and Middle Adolescents: Cross-Sectional Study From Qatar |
| title_short | Assessing the Relationship Between the Type of Internet Use and Internet Addiction in Early and Middle Adolescents: Cross-Sectional Study From Qatar |
| title_sort | assessing the relationship between the type of internet use and internet addiction in early and middle adolescents cross sectional study from qatar |
| url | https://humanfactors.jmir.org/2025/1/e62955 |
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