Individual and environmental factors that influence children's internet use: An empirical study of elementary school children in Korea

Even though the population of the Internet users is at a high level in the world, there is not much research about users, especially the younger generation of the Internet. This study started from the consciousness of the necessity of an empirical discussion on the internet media which is already established as a daily life of children. Unlike other age groups, media use of children is characterized not only by individual tendencies, but also by their surroundings such as family and friends. We analyzed the personal and social factors influencing the Internet use pattern of these children. In order to find out this, we conducted an in - depth interview with elementary school students and parents in Seoul. We used both quantitative and qualitative methods because it was not easy to collect data when studying children.
Especially, since there is no accumulation of data on basic usage behavior, this study first examined the characteristics of children 's internet usage and analyzed the factors influencing them. As a result, it was found that the Internet use patterns of children were similar to those of other age groups, but they were not related to parental control or attitude. In addition, it is parent 's Internet usage behavior which is most important to internet use time and proficiency. This study is an exploratory study for children and it can be said that it is the basic work to identify the meaning and the ripple effect of Internet in the future children 's group