DIGITAL LIFE

A quarter of young people have problems associated with using the internet

The study 'Additive Behavior at 18 years', which was published today, was the result of a survey conducted by the Intervention Service for Addictive Behaviors and Dependencies (SICAD) with the participants in the National Defense Day - 2018, which is held every year since 2015.
From a list of possible problems, about a quarter of the young people mentioned that they had had some kind of problem in the previous 12 months, associated with the use of the Internet, and there were no significant differences between boys and girls.
The most mentioned type of problem refers to school-work income (9.6%), followed by emotional malaise (11.5%) and problems with behavior at home (9.6%). .
There were 1.7% who reported having health problems, motivating medical attention, 1.8% reported financial problems, 1.8 acts of violence, 1.4% disruptive behavior and 2.7% reported having sex without a condom.
Most of the young respondents had Internet contact, with a majority (57.5%) starting to use between 10 and 14 years of age, 34% before 10 years and 7.2% at 15 years or more years .
According to the study, boys declare earlier onset of use than girls.
The portable computer is the most used equipment to access the Internet, referred by 63% of the young people, followed by the smartphone / mobile phone.
Young people were asked about three types of internet use: social networking, gambling (in particular gambling) and surveys.
"The use of social networks is widespread, as is the Internet, while about half of young people refer to online gambling, with 16% betting online," said the study, which had the participation of 66,148 young people , which corresponds to 64% of the participants of National Defense Day (103,324).
The highest proportion of youths play up to three hours a day, either during the week or at the weekend. In the context of the game of money time tends to be somewhat lower.
However, the study points out that close to 10% of young people mention playing for six hours or more a day, down to 2% in the case of those who play money during this time.
"Since the prevalence of gambling and betting in particular is higher among boys, the prevalence of more intensive gambling (six hours or more a day) is also higher in boys," he said.
In general, boys continue to stand out from the girls for spending more hours playing. However, in the specific context of the betting game there are no relevant differences between players and players as to the number of hours spent playing.
By analyzing playing time as the most intensive game criterion (six or more hours per day), the study found that between 2015 and 2018 the percentage values ​​remain relatively stable.
"Between 2017 and 2018 there is a slight increase in the prevalence of more intensive game, to be valued in the light of future evolutions," says SICAD.
Another conclusion of the study points out that 4% of young people purchased cannabis via the internet in the 12 months prior to the survey, which corresponds to 14% of cannabis users in this period.
The percentage of young people who mentioned that they purchased another type of substance is equal to or less than 1% for each substance, which is in line with the lower prevalence of consumption of these substances compared to cannabis. Lusa Agency