With High New Media Literacy, Can We Prevent Problematic Internet Use? - A Case Study of Chinese College Students

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by hdkawk

Problematic Internet use (PIU) can cause dysfunction and unwanted outcomes, particularly among adolescents and youths. Prior studies link PIU to personal emotional characteristics and relationships, but the role of personal ability—especially new media literacy (NML)—remains insufficiently clarified for Chinese university students. Using data from 462 students, the study finds PIU widespread to varying degrees and NML scored 4.23/5, with positive correlations between NML and PIU.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages12

Reading Time30 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

With High New Media Literacy, Can We Prevent Problematic Internet Use? --A Case Study of Chinese College Students Sisi Long1 , Ting Zhu2 , Xizi Chen3,* 1 Jinan University, China, [longss_0622@hotmail.com](longss_0622@hotmail.com) , [https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8841-0893](https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8841-0893) 2 Jinan University, China, [1633329275@qq.com](1633329275@qq.com) , [https://orcid.org/0009-0003-6598-9649](https://orcid.org/0009-0003-6598-9649) 3 Jinan University, China, [xizichen@jnu.edu.cn](xizichen@jnu.edu.cn) , [https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2314-378X](https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2314-378X) ABSTRACT Problematic Internet use (PIU) can lead to dysfunction and undesired consequences, especially in adolescents and youths. Studies have shown that personal emotional characteristics and relationships with others are associated with PIU. We pursue the neglected question of whether there is a correlation between personal ability, such as new media literacy (NML), and PIU. Chinese university students’ PIU has received insufficient scholarly attention, and its relationship with NML is unclear. Therefore, we examined the correlation between PIU and NML in 462 Chinese university students. The results showed that PIU was widespread in varying degrees, and the NML score was 4.23 out of 5. Personal NML was positively correlated with PIU, especially the critical prosuming dimension. Gender influenced neither PIU nor new media literacy. Students’ residence was only positively associated with NML, not PIU. Gender and place of residence did not moderate the correlation between NML and PIU, and place of residence also did not moderate the correlation between gender and PIU. These findings provide insight into the relationship between humans and the Internet and have practical implications regarding preventive interventions for emerging adults. KEYWORDS: Problematic Internet use; critical presuming; new media literacy 1 INTRODUCTION The Internet has become an infrastructure of people’s daily lives, and the time they spend on the Internet is increasing. According to Digital 2022: April Global Statshot Report (Datareportal, 2022), the typical Internet user spends more than 40 percent of their waking life online. We now live in a permanently online/permanently connected (POPC) world. Activities which entail excessive time online generate excessive, compulsive, or addictive internet use, which may lead to undesired consequences such as depression, anxiety, stress, loneliness, family problems, and even Internet addiction (Elhai et al. , 2017; Wallace, 2014; Kim et al. , 2009) . As a public health concern, PIU has been mentioned by the World Organization. Moreover, preventing and mitigating PIU-associated health risks and disorders was considered a long-term goal at a WHO meeting in 2014 (World Health Organization, 2015) . Preventive intervention can reduce PIU. Predictors of PIU come from three groups—individual factors, contextual factors, and developmental factors. Among them, individual factors are the most studied field (Anderson et al., 2017) . Individual variables can be classified into objective characteristics of individuals (Baloğlu et al., 2018; de Vries et al. , 2018; Tran et al. , 2017; Chen et al. , 2015; Hong et al., 2014; Thorsteinsson & Davey 2014), individual traits (Stavropoulos et al. , 2017; Yu et al. , 2015; Hong et al. , 2014; Gámez-Guadix et al. , 2013; Haagsma et al. , 2013) . In addition, asthe clinical aspects of PIU resemble the addiction phenomenon, scholars have also referred to addiction research and explored psychological characteristics (Mamun et al. , 2020; Chou et al., 2017; Younes et al. , 2016; Fernández-Villa et al. , 2015) . Although existing research has been fruitful, most of the variables analyzed are objective static (i.e. , not-changeable, predisposing factor) variables that individuals cannot change (such as age and gender) . Even though some psychopathological factors are dyna

FAQs

What does the study investigate regarding PIU and new media literacy?

It examines whether there is a correlation between problematic internet use (PIU) and new media literacy (NML) among Chinese university students.

How prevalent is PIU and how is NML measured in the study?

PIU is widespread across students at varying levels, and NML is reported as a mean score of 4.23 out of 5.

What relationships does the study find between NML, gender, and students’ residence?

Personal NML is positively correlated with PIU, especially the critical prosuming dimension. Gender does not influence PIU or NML, while residence is associated with NML but not directly with PIU.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by hdkawk