Aspects of Internet Use among Adolescents in Saudi Arabia
Juliann Saquib
College of Medicine, Sulaiman Al Rajhi University, Saudi Arabia.
Ayman Ibrahim
College of Medicine, Sulaiman Al Rajhi University, Saudi Arabia.
Mohammed A. Charbat
College of Medicine, Sulaiman Al Rajhi University, Saudi Arabia.
Abdulrahman Almazrou
College of Medicine, Sulaiman Al Rajhi University, Saudi Arabia.
Nazmus Saquib *
College of Medicine, Sulaiman Al Rajhi University, Saudi Arabia.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Background: In Saudi Arabia, there is a growing concern about Internet use among adolescents, who make up a significant portion (≈ 15%) of the population.
Method: We administered a survey to students (Grades 7-12, n =2321) in randomly selected middle and high schools in three cities of Saudi Arabia in the spring of 2020 prior to COVID-19. We inquired about their demographics, lifestyle factors, devices, motivation for Internet use, and their family members’ use.
Results: The mean (± SD) age of starting to use the Internet was 10.45 ± 3.02. Smartphones were the most used device (86.0%), followed by computers (6.3%), tablets (5.2%), game consoles (4.5%), and smart TVs (1.9%). The primary motivations for Internet use were social media (64.9%), watching videos (19.6%), gaming (6.2%), and other (studying, communication, etc.) (9.3%). Participants mostly described their parents’ Internet use as moderate and their siblings’ use as heavy. About a third (32.2%) of participants' parents did not supervise or place restrictions on their children's Internet use, a quarter (27.8%) of the parents only supervised their Internet use, a quarter (23.3%) placed restrictions only, and 16.7% engaged in both supervision and restriction.
Conclusion: Adolescents report that their own Internet use via smartphones is high, and a high proportion of family members are heavy Internet users.
Keywords: Internet usage, social media, parental supervision, digital wellbeing, adolescence, Saudi Arabia