Exploring problematic internet use tendency among emerging adults: An overview

Purpose: The internet plays a vital role in the daily lives of emerging adults, but it also brings potential negative consequences like problematic internet use (PIU), particularly in this age group. Developmental task from this age group could be one of the stressors which could lead individual to obtain a maladaptive use of internet. Further, PIU can also bring detrimental effect and pathological mental disorder. Despite its importance, PIU among emerging adults has not been extensively studied. This study seeks to investigate the tendency towards problematic internet use among emerging adults, considering their exploratory phase where internet use is prevalent. Method: This study used a cross-sectional design with survey data collection. 104 participants, women and men aged 18-29 years old (M = 19.9; SD =1.88) were collected in this study. Participants completed the demographic scale and the Generalized Problematic Internet Use-2 scale (GPIUS-2). Data were analyzed using the descriptive statistical technique with Jamovi statistical software. Result: Overall, most participants spend at least 5 hours on their internet usage per day (77.88%) while the rest spend 3 to 5 hours on the internet (22.12%). Interestingly, a higher tendency of problematic internet use was found in men (M = 47.8; SD =8.18) than women (M = 44.7; SD =9.52). Furthermore, men were also higher than women in all dimensions of PIU except in mood regulation, albeit the differences were negligible. Conclusion: This study provides theoretical enrichment of the exploration of problematic internet use specifically among emerging adults. Further, the results of this study could be clinically useful for designing interventions related to social media use behavior.