CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1Â Â Â BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
The Internet is being used by an increasing number of individuals all around the world (1,574,313,184 as of December 31, 2008). According to recent reports, today’s teens spend a large amount of time on the Internet for a variety of reasons (Lange, 2008). According to studies, using the Internet can assist teens in completing homework more successfully and efficiently (Borzekowski, 2006). Other researchers, on the other hand, have suggested that Internet use has direct detrimental consequences on academic outcomes (Choi, 2007). Excessive usage of the Internet has been linked to issues with daily routines, school achievement, and family relationships (Rickert, 2001). The Internet is a worldwide network of computers that enables for the transmission of data. The United States Department of Defense (DoD) created the Internet in the early 1960s, principally for military objectives (Pinard, 2006). Since then, the continuous advancement of Internet technology has provided unprecedented public access to a wide range of forms of communication, including intra- and inter-organizational email; data storage, management, and transfer; social websites such as Facebook; text messaging services such as Twitter, and so on. The usage of the Internet has expanded substantially as a result of the development and distribution of less expensive and more user-friendly computer technology and software (e.g., portable PCs, Microsoft Word, etc.). In 2010, 28.7 percent of the world’s population used the Internet. While this may not appear to be a huge proportion of the world’s population, Internet usage has increased dramatically. For example, the pace of growth of Internet use was 444.8 percent between 2000 and 2010. (Internet World Stats, 2010). There are several advantages to using the Internet, including access to vital information, global access to news and events, and interpersonal connection via email. However, as the Internet and its use have grown exponentially, there has been a growing concern around the world about the dangers of excessive Internet use (Buchholz, 2009). It is currently thought that there is widespread “addiction” to it, especially among college and university students ( Hsiao, 2000). In both companies and society, the internet plays a critical role. The fundamental reality underpins the global information revolution that has occurred in recent years. According to Cawkell (2004), the Internet is a huge computer network made up of hundreds of interconnected networks that provides a variety of services such as electronic mail, file transfer protocol, database access, and so on. As a result, the success story surrounding the introduction of the Internet is unsurprising. It should be highlighted that, for obvious reasons, the influence of Internet access on on-campus education is still quite modest for a variety of reasons: The technology is new, expensive, and may pose too much of a challenge to established academic structures and traditions. Duguid agreed with this viewpoint (1996). The impact of the internet on student academic performance varies by population. In a recent study, Sanni (2009) discovered that there is a gender gap in internet use, and that equal access for male and female students should be prioritized. The study also concludes that the current level of capabilities for internet-assisted research is encouraging, and that, if properly implemented, enhancing internet facilities in our universities will improve academic research in Nigerian tertiary institutions. According to a review of the literature, teachers and students are the most frequent Internet users, using it primarily for educational purposes rather than entertainment ( Hanauer, 2004). Several studies have found that college students have a high level of Internet access and use. According to Hanauer’s (2004) assessment, 83 percent of Internet users had access at home, while 51 percent had access at their institutions or libraries. Eighty-one percent of students use the Internet primarily for college work, with another 80 percent using it for e-mail and chat. At the G B Pant University of Agriculture and Technology in Pantnagar, Bisht (2005) performed a study on the Internet usage trends of undergraduate students. According to their findings, the Internet was used by the majority of students (85.7%), with 61.5 percent of males and 51.6 percent of females using it to prepare assignments. Slow Internet connections were cited as a key difficulty by the majority of respondents (83.1 percent male and 61.3 percent female). Robinson (2005) investigated Internet use among African-American college students and found that the majority of students used the Internet at school or at work. A study of children’s Internet use in the United States was undertaken by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in 2002. Children’s use of the Internet grew at an adolescent rate between 2002 and 2003, according to the findings. 65 percent of American children aged 2 to 17 were found to be using the Internet from home, school, or another location, up from 41% in 2000. (CTF, 2002). Despite the Internet’s value to students, various research have looked at the detrimental impacts it may have on teenagers. Immoral information, for example, can be seen in the closet, on a laptop, on a palmtop, and so on without fear of anyone else discovering what is being eaten. Longe (2007) claims that the Internet has also functioned as a platform for pedophiles who take advantage of children’s and teens’ naivety by engaging them in sex chat rooms and eventually inviting them to sexual exploits. Piercy (2006) believes that people are increasingly using the Internet to form friendships and romances, as well as to initiate extramarital affairs. They conducted a critical analysis of the literature on online infidelity. According to Cheryl (2007), the average age of a kid who is first exposed to Internet pornography is 11 years old, with the 12-to-17-year-old demographic being the largest users of pornography in America. Almost 90% of children aged eight to sixteen have watched pornography online, the majority while completing schoolwork. The purpose of this study is to look at how Nigerian secondary school students use and misuse the Internet.
