ZAVISNOST OD INTERNETA I DRUŠTVENIH MREŽA TOKOM EPIDEMIJE KOVID-19 KOD MLADIH U BEOGRADU
INTERNET AND SOCIAL NETWORK ADDICTION DURING THE COVID-19 EPIDEMIC AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE IN BELGRADE

Summary/Abstract: The main goal of our research was to determine the degree of Internet and social network addiction among young adults in the city of Belgrade during the COVID-19 epidemic and the association between these types of addiction and anxiety and depression. The research was done on a sample of 500 young adults aged 18 to 30 in the city of Belgrade. To assess the levels of depression, anxiety and mental distress, the „Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales“ DASS-21 was used. The level of Internet addiction was assessed by the IAT „Internet Addiction Test“. Dependence on social networks was evaluated with questions made on the basis of diagnostic criteria of the World Health Organization and the International Classification of Diseases ICD-11. The results of the research indicate that during the state of emergency in 2020, there was a statistically highly significant increase in the use of certain social networks, and that parameters indicating dependence on social networks increased statistically significantly in this period. Also, during the research, positive correlations were observed between the score of internet addiction and the scores for mental distress, anxiety and depression. These results indicate, among other things, that there is a need for greater involvement of the state and society to preserve and improve the mental health of young people, and that it is necessary to raise awareness of the harmful effects of excessive use of the Internet and social networks in this population in the context of health crises such as the current COVID-19 pandemic.

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