University students' Internet use and its relationships with academic performance, interpersonal relationships,...

This study examined the relationships between university students' Internet use and students' academic performance, interpersonal relationships, psychosocial adjustment, and self-evaluation. The study was based on data drawn from a national survey of college students in Taiwan. A stratified sample of 49,609 students (2005-2006 academic year juniors) was randomly selected from 156 universities (174,277 students). Students completed a questionnaire online. Heavy Internet users and nonheavy Internet users differed significantly on a number of dimensions. Nonheavy users had better relationships with administrative staff, academic grades, and learning satisfaction than heavy Internet users. Heavy users were more likely than non-heavy Internet users to be depressed, physically ill, lonely, and introverted.