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21 January 2014

Three Motives for Kids to go Online

Keywords: internet, survey, Eastern Asia, Websites, computer, personality, personality characteristics,

Children spend a great amount of time online. But why are they attracted to the Internet? According to a study in Computers in Human Behavior children’s need for autonomy, competence, and support drives their Internet use.

Take aways

  • The Internet is attractive to children because it satisfies their need for autonomy, competence, and support.
  • Children who feel more autonomy, competence, and support online but low autonomy, competence, and support offline are most attracted to the Internet. 
  • Educators and parents should know that although the Internet fulfills children’s basic needs, for some it may lead to disordered Internet use. Improving feelings of autonomy, competence, and support offline may be a way to deal with problematic internet use. 

Study information

  • The question?

    Why are children attracted to the Internet? 

  • Who?

    629 8- to 12- year-olds (mean age: 10 years); 50% boys

  • Where?

    China 

  • How?

    The children filled out a survey containing questions about their Internet use, mood while using the Internet, and about their perceived autonomy (feeling of independence), competence (satisfaction with their daily performances), and support (feeling supported by others) online and offline.

Facts and findings

  • Children who felt more autonomy, competence, and support online:
    • used the Internet more often,
    • spent more time on the Internet,
    • experienced more positive moods (e.g., joy and satisfaction) while they used the Internet.
  • In addition, children who felt less autonomy, competence, and support offline:
    • used the Internet more often,
    • spent more time on the Internet,
    • experienced more negative moods while they used the Internet.
  • An explanation for the finding that children who felt less satisfaction autonomy, competence, and support offline in their daily lives spent more time online is that the Internet becomes more important to these children to fulfill these needs. 
  • Critical note: This study does not allow for any conclusions about cause (e.g., autonomy, competence, and support) and effect (e.g., Internet use). The results only show that autonomy, competence, and support are associated with children’s Internet use and cannot say anything about what causes what.