Internet Usage Experiences of Primary School Students: a Phenomenological Study

Abstract

This study deals with primary school students’ experiences with the Internet use to examine the potential risks of Internet use at an early age. To achieve this, a qualitative phenomenological study was designed. The criterion sampling technique was used to determine the study group. The group was composed of 16 thirdand fourth-grade students studying at a public school in the province of Mardin during the 2022–2023 academic year. In the study, data were obtained with a semistructured interview form. Thematic analysis technique was used to analyze the data. The findings of the studyindicated that the primary school students who were interviewed used the Internet with single and multiple digital screens for action, sports, and intelligence games; for content on sites such as YouTube, Netflix, and TikTok; for doing homework and research on Google; and for course applications. It has been found that there are no harmful internet sites that are consciously entered, although sexual content, paid, or infected sites are accidentally entered. It has been concluded that the knowledge of children at an early age about the possible harms of the Internet is at a low level. It is thought that informative guidance studies should be carried out on the conscious use of technology and the Internet for all stakeholders that make up society.