Relationship between Internet Addiction with Emotional Maturity: A Study on High School Students

The percentage of India’s youth population is at increase and at present it has reached around thirty percentages. With the advancement of communication technology and easy access to internet youths are becoming more and more prone to cyber addiction which is hampering their emotional development. Within this backdrop the major objective of the present study is to examine the relationship between internet addiction and emotional maturity of the youth. Academic research on internet addiction and its impact on different psychological aspects of adolescents have shown that there has been adverse impact on their emotional maturity and other behavioural problems. A sample of 237 higher secondary students belonging to different CBSE, non-missionary schools of Bhopal were taken. The standardized scales were used to measure internet addiction and emotional maturity. Descriptive and inferential analysis using single factor between group designs was employed. Research findings revealed that there was a significant relationship between internet addiction and lack of independence. The students who scored high in internet addiction also scored high in lack of independence factor. The other dimensions, emotional regression, emotional unstability, personality disintegration and social maladjustment did not have a significant relationship with internet addiction. The study also explored other dimensions revealing that students mostly access internet through mobile phones and are quite active on social networking sites. The study offered insight to the relationship between internet usage and emotional maturity providing valuable information to the parents and teachers for overall development of the child.