Nowadays, we use digital devices at every step, in all areas of life, whether at school, at work
or at home in free time. The use of digital devices is increasingly common and it can turn into
excessive use, which can later lead to addiction. The master's thesis deals with addiction to
digital devices among young people and with their knowledge of programs of assistance in the
act of addiction. Special attention is paid to the topic of what are the characteristics of digital
addiction, what are the parallels with other types of addiction and why teenagers are the most
vulnerable group when it comes to (excessive) digital devices use. The protective and
threatening factors for development of digital addiction are presented in more detail.
In addition to the above, the work also focuses on how the use of digital technology changes
with time, especially after period of isolation and contraction of social life in taking action
against COVID-19. The central purpose of the master's thesis was to investigate the impact of
addiction to digital devices on adolescents, as well as to present differences in the use of digital
devices according to gender and the age of adolescents and to investigate the extent to which
adolescents are aware of assistance programs coping with the addiction process. In empirical
part of master's thesis, there was survey questionnaire used for data acquisition, aimed at 11-,
13-, 15- and 17-years-olds. The sample is purposeful and it included 304 young people from
various primary and secondary schools across Slovenia. The data were analyzed using a
quantitative research approach.
I believe that the obtained findings can represent another step forward in the direction of
improvement in understanding digital addiction in adolescents and may be ultimately used to
help in the further development of prevention and assistance programs dealing with this
addiction. Research findings can be an important contribution to social pedagogy profession,
as they will contribute to a better understanding of young people and their behaviour and, last
but not least, to detect their problems more quickly.
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