Students' internet addiction: Study and prevention

The information society reveals the social impact of the dissemination of information technologies. The purpose of this article is to study the negative social, psychological, and pedagogical implications of the Internet on young people. The authors analyzed the internet addiction problem among students (14-19 years) from the standpoint of the social health of the individuals and society as a whole. In a pilot study, which involved more than 600 adolescent participants aged 14-19 years (secondary school, college and university students), the authors have defined internet addiction as a complex phenomenon. The prerequisites of its development identify and highlights its formation in stages among students (mild fascination, passion, addiction, attachment). At the ascertaining stage of the experiment, a screening study was carried out to examine the state of internet addiction in young students in social networks. The results showed the necessity to design and implement internet addiction prevention programs for young students, which include three main blocks (motivational and cognitive, practice-oriented, reflexive), and a systematic plan for its implementation in the educational space framework. The stages of the experiment provided evidence of the authors' proposed effectiveness of methodologies for young people aged 14-19 years. This article may be useful to pedagogues, psychologists, and parents of students, social workers, and researchers working in the field of addiction prevention among young people. © Authors