Onlife youth: a study of young people’s user profile and their online behaviour

Abstract

The internet has become the main vehicle of communication and self-expression for most young people. Forms of interacting, entertaining oneself and even disconnecting are being increasingly influenced by the hyperconnectivity that these technological devices entail. A quantitative study was conducted to explore the user profile, behaviour and risks involved in screentime in a sample of 2066 Spanish adolescents aged between 12 and 18. A bespoke validated questionnaire was used. Data were analysed via descriptive and inferential statistics. Outcomes reveal that adolescents use their smartphones during leisure time mainly to communicate and interact via social networks, specifically, WhatsApp and Instagram. As adolescents grow older, they spend more time online and share more personal information. There is, therefore, a need for an educational approach aimed at attending to young people’s affective, relational and communicational processes to enable them to suitably handle their exposure on social networks