Areas of Internet Use and Its Impact on Adolescents from Their Point of View in Jordan, the Sultanate of Oman, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (A Comparative Study)

This study aims at identifying the aspects of using the internet and its effect on teenagers from their point of view in Jordan, Oman, and Saudi Arabia. The sample of the study consists of (381) tenth grade (male and female) students by using the random cluster sampling. A scale that consisted of three domains: extent of using the internet, aspects of using the internet, and effects of using the internet was administered over the participants after verifying the validity and reliability measures. The findings revealed that all the participants use the internet, where the percentage of the daily use of the internet is (55.9%). Moreover, the results revealed that the use of the internet was mainly for entertainment and games, with an average score of 2.75 out of 5, the least of which was the field of sending homework. The results also revealed that there were statistically significant differences in the aspects of using the internet ( follow the news, and being familiar with the new publications of publishing houses) attributed to the variable of the country in favor of Sultanate of Oman students, whereas the significant differences regarding the aspects of using the internet (educational, health, and religious consultations and the availability of self-learning opportunities ) were in favor of the Omani and Saudi students. As for the effects of using the internet, they were moderate, and there were statistically significant differences in the psychological field in favor of Jordanian and Saudi students. Moreover, results revealed statistically significant differences in the social domain in favor of males, but there were no significant differences in the effects of using the internet attributed the interaction between the variables of country and gender.