Advanced Concepts of the Role of Social Factors in the Development of Internet Addiction Behavior in Children and Adolescents (Based on Foreign Studies)

Abstract

Objective. To analyze the currently available data on social risk factors and their influence on the IA development process and to evaluate possible prospects for further research in the field of Internet addiction behavior in children and adolescents.Background. The excessive Internet use among children and adolescents is known to be a serious public health problem, however, the influence factors and the mechanisms of Internet addiction (IA) remain largely unknown. The importance of social factors in the formation of addictive behavior is undeniable, and currently there seems to be an extremely little information of this kind of research. So far many mechanisms explaining the contribution of family and school factors to the development of IA have not been identified. The question remains open why, with the same conditions of upbringing, some adolescents develop IA, while others do not.Conclusions. The quality of family relationships and the school environment have a significant impact on the IA development process in young people, which is mediated through the development of certain character traits that either facilitate for social norms and rules to be acquired or encourage the addictive behavior. However, social factors of influence cannot be considered to be absolute. The presence in adolescents of such qualities as a high level of self-control and volitional self-regulation provide the resilience to the IA development process. The phenomenon of resilience is an extremely urgent but poorly studied area, which determines the prospects for further scientific research, including the problem of Internet addiction behavior in children and adolescents.