Educational Intervention for Reducing Internet Addiction Tendencies

The aim of this research is to determine the effect of a training program, developed to increase conscious Internet use, academic motivation, and effective use of time, on the Internet addiction tendencies of adolescents continuing their high school education. The participants were chosen from among students who had completed the measuring scale in secondary schools in Çayeli county of Rize province, and they are comprised of 30 volunteer students participating in the educational program. The chosen students were divided at random into experimental (n = 15) and control (n = 15) groups. The study used a 2x3 split-plot with pre-test, post-test, and follow-up measurements for the study and control groups. Internet-addiction tendencies were measured with the problematic Internet use scale. The study group attended a five-session educational program designed to increase conscious Internet use, academic motivation, and efficient use of time. The final test measurements were completed ten days after the end of the experimental procedure, with follow-up measurements completed six months after the procedure. Data analysis used two-way variance analysis for the split-plot. The results reveal that the educational program developed to increase conscious Internet use, academic motivation, and efficient use of time is effective at reducing adolescent’s Internet addiction tendencies.Citation: Berber Çelik, Ç. (2016). Educational intervention for reducing Internet addiction tendencies. Addicta: The Turkish Journal on Addictions, 3, 375–386. http://dx.doi.org/10.15805/addicta.2016.3.0021