A recent study conducted by a team in Finland suggests that young people who spend excessive amounts of time online are more likely to miss school due to illness or truancy.
Published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood journal, the research indicates that teenage girls, in particular, are more prone to excessive internet use compared to teenage boys.
The study, which utilized data from the School Health Promotion study managed by Finland’s Institute for Health and Welfare, focused on 86,270 year 8 and 9 pupils aged 14 to 16.
Participants were surveyed about various factors, including their relationship with their parents, sleep duration, physical activity, and internet usage habits.
Excessive internet use was evaluated based on lifestyle factors indicating compulsion, such as neglect of family, friends, and study, as well as feelings of anxiety if not online, and disruption of eating or sleeping patterns due to online activities.
The findings revealed that spending excessive time online was associated with an increased risk of both truancy and medically explained school absences.
However, positive parental relationships, longer nightly weekday sleep, and regular physical activity were identified as protective factors, reducing the risk of school absences.
Notably, teens who felt comfortable sharing concerns with their parents were significantly less likely to engage in truancy, absenteeism or miss school due to illness.
However, the study acknowledged that it was observational, and no firm conclusions could be drawn about causal factors. Additionally, the data did not specify the type of internet activities in which teens were engaged.
Despite these limitations, the researchers emphasized the importance of promoting health and educational attainment, especially among students whose school absences raise concern.
The findings underscore the role of professionals working in school health and well-being services in addressing the impact of excessive internet use on adolescents’ academic attendance and overall well-being.
