Primary Healthcare and Nursing

Biography

Biography: Hoda M Nafee

Abstract

Pros and Cons of Internet Usage between Saudi and Egyptian Teenagers In Relation To Internet Addiction

Nowadays, the internet is becoming an integral part of the daily life of the teenagers who are the most users of internet at home or school on a large scale and those groups were participating nearly 20% from total population in KSA and ARE. The risk of developing misuse and widespread internet accessibility that facilitates their using of favorite applications whenever and wherever they want which increase the negative consequences neither in their psychiatric state as internet addiction or psychosomatic as musculoskeletal discomfort. Many studies asserted that the users of the internet should be aware of its positive and negative effects on their physical and psychosocial status. So this study aims to identify teenagers’ opinions about the pros and cons of Internet Usage in relation to internet addiction. A convenient sample of 668 teenagers who were recruited from intermediate and secondary school from both countries 331 teenagers from king Saudi Arabia (KSA) and 337 from Arab Republic of Egypt y(ARE) was selected using a descriptive correlation design. Two tools were used for data collection: the first one was a questionnaire sheet including participant’s Students’ socio-demographic data and their opinions about pros and cons of internet usage; the second was internet addiction test (IAT) by Young (1998).

 Results: Regarding teenager opinions of internet pros, both Saudi and Egyptian the highest percentage was to improve general knowledge, it was 32% and 48.7% respectively, the second was the developing sports activity it was 13.6% for Saudi and 31.4% for Egyptian. While the high Teenager's opinion of internet cons went to the moral corruption it was 34.4% for Saudi and 59.1% for Egyptian. About internet addiction, near half of Saudi and Egyptian students had mild and moderate internet addiction (47.7%, 45.3%, and 44.2%, 46.3%) respectively. While severe IA was (0.9%) in Saudi one compared to (0.3%) in Egyptian teenagers. Statistically, no significant relation was found between both groups in relation to internet addiction level where p=0.296. A statistically significant relation was found between both groups in relation their opinions about pros and cons of Internet Usage where P = <0.001, while no statistically significant relationships were found in both Saudi and Egyptian teenagers’ opinions about pros and cons of internet usage in relation to the level of internet addiction except in cons of the internet in the Saudi group (P =0.017). This study concluded that instead of the high level of teenagers awareness in both groups about the cons of internet usage compared to the pros but nearly they were equal in levels of internet addiction. The researchers recommended that further studies be conducted in this field on larger sample size for both genders to identify the other factors related to internet addiction among teenagers.