Abstract:

The new generations are showing greater advances in the development of the technical skills required for the use of ICTs. Today’s children and adolescents have improved technical knowledge of these tools, although this does not mean a better one, than their parents and teachers (Palfrey, J. and Gasser, U.: 2008; Kennedy et al.: 2008; Kvavik, R.: 2005), and indeed form the sector of the population who devote the most time to using ICTs (Salaway et al: 2008). At general level, it is possible to identify those born after 1983 as digital natives (García García, F. et al; 2011), whose main characteristic is the nimble access to any digital device; by contrast digital immigrants are ICT users who require technical training in order for them to be able to use them. Consequently, the child or adolescent feels loneliness with ICT. Consequently, the child or adolescent loneliness feels ICT because it has no an educational attention in this area. This situation increases the student's chances of living malpractices of use ICT, as ciberbullyng, sexting,... (Prieto Quezada, Mº T.; 2015: 14).

Children and adolescents belonging to this disregarded or inadequately informed generation are beginning to be known by Internet safety associations as “digital orphans”. Young people with these profiles are at greater risk of developing an addiction to ICTs (Beranuy Fargues, M. et al; 2009), and in particular, addiction to the Internet and Smartphones, currently the resources most accessible to them (Cánovas, G.; 2014).

In the present work we report the results about the level of addiction to the Internet of 10 groups of primary schoolchildren from three schools in the zone of Peñaranda de Bracamonte obtained before and after take part in an educational project aimed at minimizing the risk of ICTs via collaborative work. We explore whether there has been any variation after the educational intervention in the level of addiction to the Internet of the children participating.

Keywords:

Network safety, primary education, ICT, Internet.