Innovative Issues and Approaches in Social Sciences (May 2013)
SHOULD WE BE CONSERED ABOUT CHILDREN USE OF INTERNET? – PILOT STUDY
Abstract
Addiction of internet and problematic internet use is a growing problem in Bosnian scholars. There are many risk factors for addiction and problematic use of Internet found at school and at home. The purpose of this study is to examine scholar's habits and experiences while using the internet and to identify the most common dangers to which children are exposed during a web search. The main risks to which children are exposed while using the internet are: sexual or violent content, direct communication with persons seeking inappropriate relationships, exposure to disturbing, hostile or inappropriate messages, and the isolation of the child due to too frequent and prolonged use of the internet. The study was conducted on a sample of 1,941 scholars from fifth to eight grades in Sarajevo. Problematic use of internet is common among scholars in Sarajevo. Serious risk factors are found at home and at school. The results show that scholars of different ages differ in terms of their use of the internet, owning a Facebook profile, frequency and purposes of internet use, as well as releasing personal information on the internet, confronting pornographic content and internet addiction. Researchers did not find a statistically significant difference between scholars of different ages in experiencing violence on the internet. According to the search results, children whose parents did not pay enough attention to the activities of their children on the internet are more frequently confronted with pornographic content and are more likely to experience violence on the internet and show more signs of internet addiction. Effective measures are needed to prevent the spread of this problem.
