Children's excessive internet use and its relationship to the family bond: The case of Helsinki, Finland

Abstract

This study was designed to provide insights into children’s excessive internet use and its relationship to family bonds. Based on the hypothesis that children with better parental attachment (family bond) use the internet less, the research seeks to explore children’s perspective of the quality of bonding with their parents in line with three factors (Communication, mutual trust, and the extent of alienation and anger). The present study involved one hundred and fifty-four school children, aged seven to seventeen, in the north- eastern area of Helsinki-Finland. Online questionnaires were used to collect data. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the obtained data. Analysis of the data revealed that children have a higher trust in their mothers than their fathers, both boys and girls have similar bonds with both parents (communication, trust, and alienation), and younger children below the age of twelve years have a better bond with their parents than adolescents. Regarding internet use, while boys and girls use it equally, older children use it more. The connection between the relationship bond and internet use was confirmed. This study is significant in expanding knowledge on growing trends of children’s excessive internet use impacted by common attachment bonds from parents. It also draws attention to social work practice in understanding and improving intervention methods when offering services to children and families.