Daily connection to social networks is a constant nowadays. There are various consequences of constant exposure to social networking that can lead to risky behaviors, or possibly addiction in certain individuals. Due to poorer executive functions, the probability of developing such behaviors is higher in adolescents, which is why the goal of the master's thesis was to identify factors that increase their possibility of developing addictive behavior on social networks. 220 adolescents, aged 13 to 17, of whom 122 were female, participated in the research by filling out three questionnaires related to their habits regarding the use of social networks, addictive behavior on social networks and their self-image. Confirmatory factor analysis was performed to check the fit of the social networking addiction model, and multiple regression analysis was performed to check the influence of the predictors. The results indicated that individuals with lower self-esteem, females, older adolescents, individuals with more active social networks, and individuals who see social networks as a means of gaining and maintaining popularity exhibit significantly higher results on the social networking addiction scale. After examining the self-esteem subscales, it was evident that low family and low emotional self-esteem contribute to higher levels of addictive behavior. In contrast, parental behavioral control was not a significant predictor of addictive behavior on social networks. The findings bring important information to professionals that deal both with prevention and helping adolescent individuals with online problems, as well as educational institutions.
|
