Abstract:

The current society was deeply affected by the Covid-19 pandemic during the years 2020-2021. Society has been affected on several levels: physical and mental health, economic, social, educational. The shift from face-to-face education to online education has had both positive and negative effects among students of all ages. The present study aims to investigate the relationships between parenting styles, in relation to the degree of parental involvement in managing the child's internet consumption and internet addiction (DSM-5) in young schoolchildren (4th grade) and the identification and application of prevention strategies / techniques. Data collection and psychological intervention were performed online. The research design was an experimental one, and the results highlighted the statistically significant relationship between parental style and children's Internet addiction. Psychological intervention based on psychoeducation has shown that parents involved in their children's activities better manage their children's Internet consumption. The results of the study confirm the research premise: excessive Internet consumption is addictive for young students. Even if the chosen sample was 39 students (10 years old) and cannot be extrapolated for the entire population of young schoolchildren (6-11 years old), it can be a benchmark in the following studies that will analyze the effects of the Internet on the human psyche.

Keywords:

Internet consumption, internet addiction, children, parental psychoeducation, psychological intervention.