The Family and the Internet: The Israeli Case

Objective. The goal of this study was to explore the relationship between Internet connection and frequency of adolescents' daily use and family time and the perceived quality of relations between adolescents and their parents. Methods. Data from the 2000 National Youth Survey conducted in Israel by the Minerva Center for Youth Studies were used. Results. The findings show that frequency of Internet use is negatively related to adolescents' perception of the quality of family relationships. This negative relationship is not explained by a reduction of the time that parents and adolescents' share. Conclusions. It is possible that high frequency of Internet use by adolescents, particularly when it is not being used for learning purposes, creates intergenerational conflicts. This possibility should be explored in future studies.