Investigation of peer relations and internet addiction among high school students during the COVID-19 pandemi

This is a descriptive study conducted to examine the relationship between the peer relations and internet addiction as well as the relationship between some individual variables in high school students. The population of the study consisted of 435 (256 female, 179 male) students actively registered in the 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th grades of science, social sciences, anatolian, imam-hatip, vocational and sports high schools located in Antalya province Kumluca county in the 1st semester of the 2020-2021 academic year. In the study, the Internet Addiction Scale (IAS) was used to measure the level of internet addiction, and the Peer Relationship Scale (PRS) was used to determine the level of peer relations. In order to determine the data regarding the individual variables of the students, the Personal Information Form (PIF) developed by the researcher was used. Research data were analyzed using multiple regression and logistic regression. According to the findings obtained in the study, those who use the Internet for purposes other than education were found to have a higher risk of Internet addiction than those who use the Internet for educational purposes. Considering the sub-dimensions of the peer relationships scale, internet addiction risk level was found to be higher in those with less cooperation compared to those with more cooperation among peers and a similar result was achieved for those with more peer conflict compared to those with less peer conflict. In the study, it was found that the risk level of internet addiction did not differ according to gender, age level, school type, relationship status of the parents, type of device used while connecting to the internet. The findings of the study were discussed and interpreted by reviewing the literature. Recommendations were presented to researchers and practitioners based on this review. Keywords: Internet Addiction, peer relationships, high school students