How do local teens use the internet?

Children and youths need alternative leisure options to the online world, in particular more open spaces, according to a new study showing that a fifth of young teenagers are problematic internet users or at risk of becoming so.
The results of this research show that the absolute majority of those aged between 13 and 16 are sensible internet users while 15% are at risk and another five per cent are problematic users.  
These figures are similar to those of Spain and Britain, indicating that internet use trends transcend cultural contexts in Western European countries.

Professor Marilyn Clark, one of the researchers, sees our lives becoming more virtual than they are already. “While this research indicates that most children use the internet responsibly, we need to teach our children how to manage their online and offline existence so that the former does not dominate the latter.
“We cannot stop using the internet as it is an intrinsic part of our lives, so we have to learn to use the internet in a manageable way.”
Prof. Clark was speaking to this newspaper ahead of the launch of a report on Wednesday about the prevalence of problematic internet use in Malta among those aged...