EMOTIONAL MATURITY OF INTERNET USER ADOLESCENTS

The present investigation was attempted to find out the influence of locale, gender, academic stream, frequency of internet access and their various interactions on emotional maturity of internet user adolescents. The sample comprised of 496 internet user adolescents randomly drawn from metropolitan area (Delhi) and sub-urban area (Bahadurgarh). Data were analyzed by using 2×2×2×3 factorial design. Results showed a significant influence of locale on emotional maturity of internet user adolescents. A significant interactive influence of academic stream and frequency of internet access, locale and academic stream on emotional maturity of internet user adolescent was also observed. Further, results reflect a significant interactive influence of locale, gender and frequency of internet access on emotional maturity of internet user adolescents. The findings of the study show that internet user adolescents whether they are male or female and of any locale and academic stream, have equal opportunity to access the internet according to their convenience without any differentiations and boundaries. These findings have vital implications to educational policy-makers, teachers, parents, psychologists, counsellors and researchers to understand the pattern of internet usage and its influence on adolescents. Key Words: Emotional Maturity, Internet and Adolescents.