The effects of Internet use on adolescents' first romantic and sexual relationships in Taiwan

Datos Bibliográficos

ID2355422
AutoresSimon Cheng (0000-0002-6304-0259, University of Connecticut), Josef Ma (0000-0002-4977-1231, University of Connecticut), Stacy Missari (0000-0001-6882-4952, Quinnipiac University)
Año2014
Volumen29
Número4
Páginas324-347
Fecha de publicación2014-07-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaInternational Sociology (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0268-5809 • E-ISSN: 1461-7242
EditorialSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/0268580914538084
OpenAlexW2043434450
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas7
Referencias citadas61

Internet use and digital networking are increasingly an integral part of adolescents' social lives. This study examines the influences of Internet use in Taiwan on two important adolescent social behaviors: first romantic relationship and sexual debut. Using data from the Taiwan Youth Project (TYP), 2000-2009, the results of event history analyses suggest that adolescents' Internet use for educational purposes reduces the rates of having a first romantic relationship and a sexual debut in adolescence, whereas using the Internet for social networking, visiting internet cafés, and surfing pornographic websites increase the rates. There are gender differences in the effects of these Internet activities on adolescents' intimate experiences. Logistic analyses further show that Internet activities also affect the likelihood of whether adolescents have a sexual debut before a first romantic relationship. The implications of these findings are discussed in the conclusion

Developmental psychology · Romance · The Internet · Gender, Feminism, and Media · Impact of Technology on Adolescents · Psychology · Sexuality, Behavior, and Technology · Social Psychology