| Description |
Modern information and communication technologies (ICT) represent a natural part of family and professional life in developed countries, they significantly interfere with the educational process and leisure time. If their users are unable to set clear boundaries for handling them or are unable to comply with them, ICTs can contribute to the emergence and strengthening of addictive behavior with negative effects on the physical, mental and social aspects of health. There is no sharp line between the usual level of ICT management and their compulsive overuse, and addiction develops gradually. Children and adolescents are a particularly vulnerable group, as they encounter ICT from an early age and consider it a normal part of their lifestyle. Therefore, it is necessary to act on them in a timely and appropriate manner, educationally and preventively, especially in the family and at school. The main aim of the research was to find out how respondents relate to new ICTs, how they use them, and what degree of risk of possible dependence they pose for them. The study was further focused on the description and evaluation of behavioral addictions` primary prevention in the school environment. Three working hypotheses were established, which focused on the differences in the length of time spent on social networks, attempts to reduce it and the perception of risks associated with the overuse of ICT. A quantitative research design was chosen, and an on-line anonymous electronic questionnaire published on the web was used as the research tool. The questionnaire was compiled on the basis of professional sources, contained a total of 30 items divided into 3 parts (basic identifiers, use of mobile phone, internet and social networks, preventive action in schools). The method of snowball sampling was used to recruit the sample, potential respondents were contacted via social networks. 224 respondents completed the questionnaire, so the return was 62 %. The answers were evaluated by the methods of descriptive statistics, the situation in the whole group and in the classification according to gender and types of schools was presented. Working hypotheses were tested using the statistical package EpiInfo, v. 6.02en using the chi-square test and Fisher’s exact test. Pupils from high schools and secondary vocational schools were the most represented in the research sample. Women made up 56.7 % of the sample, men 43.3 %. Half of the respondents came from the city, a fifth live in the village, the rest in the township. Modern ICT is a way to connect, relax and help. Respondents often use them, it would be difficult for them to do without them. They most often spend two hours a day on social networks (more women), half of the respondents have already tried to limit this time. The most popular is Instagram, followed by YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat, Facebook and Twitter. Most respondents actively contribute to social networks and respond immediately to incoming messages. A quarter of respondents admitted that they clearly consider ICT to be an addiction, almost all of whom rate the potential risk as high. Most of the file uses the mobile phone mainly for communication on social networks and rarely turns it off. School preventive action is unsystematic, inanimate for pupils, it lacks logical continuity and is rarely implemented. Lectures without feedback elements are usually used. It was found that there is no significant difference between the time spent on social networks in terms of the type of school, similarly in the awareness of the risks of ICT overuse. There was also no significant difference in the responses of men and women to reducing time spent on-line.
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