Internet usage habits of adolescent Turkish and foreign students in İstanbul and their families' attitudes

The study has two main objectives. Firstly, to understand the perspectives of Turkish and foreign young people in Istanbul regarding their internet usage habits and family attitudes, and to determine potential differences based on demographic characteristics. Secondly, it aims to compare the views of Turkish and foreign students. Using a descriptive methodology, the research was conducted through a structured survey. The population of the study consisted of students in grades 9 through 12 at Private Acquisition Schools in the Bagcilar district of Istanbul for the 2023-2024 academic year, totaling 211 students. Simple random sampling was used to form the research groups. A total of 120 participants were obtained by ensuring a balance between Turkish and foreign participants. The data collection process had a response rate of 56.9%. The study examined the internet usage habits and attitudes of Turkish and foreign students on seven main axes based on demographic characteristics such as nationality, gender, class, age, average success rate, and family income. These axes include patterns and duration of internet usage, situations triggering internet usage, purposes of internet usage, positive and negative effects of internet usage, reasons for internet usage, and family attitudes towards teenagers' internet usage. The collected data were then processed, verified, and analyzed using SPSS 25.0 statistical software. The results showed that gender was not a significant factor in internet usage among Turkish youth, but factors such as class, age, family income, and academic achievement were influential. It was found that Turkish youth generally access the internet via their smartphones, mostly at home, and use it for social media and problem-solving. On the other hand, foreign youth also mostly access the internet at home via smartphones and prioritize social media. Families generally support internet usage but do not restrict access to certain sites. Therefore, as the results also indicate, attitudes of Turkish families towards their teenage children's internet usage are democratic and guiding, while those of foreign student samples are democratic. Additionally, the study revealed overall similarities in internet usage habits and family attitudes between Turkish and foreign students. However, it was determined that Turkish students have lower perceptions of the positive effects of the internet compared to foreign students and there are statistically significant differences in terms of daily internet usage duration. In conclusion, the findings of the study provide important insights into young people's internet usage and family attitudes. Keywords: Adolescents, Turkish and foreign students, internet usage habits, their families' attitudes, comparison.