Psychological effects of the duration of internet usage on adolescents

Psychological Effects of the Duration of Internet Usage on Adolescents Today, internet is an inevitable tool from business life to social life; from communication to getting information. As millions of adults use internet for various purposes, internet use between children and adolescents is increasing rapidly. Internet provides positive impacts such as simplicity and speed but has also some critical negative impacts such as insecurity and social isolation. Vulnarable adolescents experience some different psychological states during their personality creation process due to internet usage. In this research, the impact of internet usage time on adolescents' depression, social phobia, loneliness and internet addiction levels have been studied. For this purpose, three hundred students who are currently studying at Saraybosna Vocational and Technical High School in Bayrampasa have been selected. Beck Depression Inventory, Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale, Young Internet Addiction Test ve UCLA Loneliness Scale have been implemented. The survey results have been evaluated by SPSS 23 Programme. The relation between adolescents' internet usage time, depression, social phobia, loneliness and internet addiction levels have been categorised into 5 sections: Descriptive Statistical Inputs, Regression, Correlation, T Test, Variance Analysis. According to our results, there is a positive relation between adolescents' internet usage time, their depression, social phobia, loneliness and internet addiction levels. As adolescents' internet usage time increases, their potential of experiencing these situations increases. Researches regarding this subject are crucial as the number of people who are addicted to internet increases depending on evolution of computer technology. The impact of internet use on adolescents' psychology must be researched among various and larger groups and must be studied efficiently to prevent its negative impacts.