Why Are Turkish University Students Addicted to the Internet? A Moderated Mediation Model.

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Sociology
• Digital Health

Background:

• Internet addiction is a growing concern, particularly among young individuals.
• It significantly impacts personal self-perception and perceived abilities.
• Understanding factors influencing internet addiction is crucial for developing effective interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between internet addiction, age, and self-esteem in university students.
• To explore the mediating roles of self-esteem and daily internet usage.
• To examine the moderating effects of social networks, gender, and location.

Main Methods:

• Quantitative, cross-sectional study involving 400 Turkish university students.
• Data collected via online surveys using validated internet addiction and self-esteem scales.
• Statistical analyses included correlation, regression, mediation, and moderation using SPSS and PROCESS macro.

Main Results:

• Internet addiction showed significant associations with self-esteem, gender, age, and daily internet usage.
• Self-esteem and daily usage time mediated the effect of age on internet addiction.
• Social networks, gender, and location moderated the impact of self-esteem on internet addiction.

Conclusions:

• Increasing age correlates with decreased internet addiction, mediated by higher self-esteem.
• Interventions aimed at boosting self-esteem may promote healthier internet usage among young people.
• Further research is needed to explore these complex relationships in diverse populations.