Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, volume 326
3rd International Conference on Current Issues in Education (ICCIE 2018)
Loneliness and Self-Esteem as Predictors of
Internet Addiction in Adolescents
Nurulsani S Abd Latief
Graduate School
Yogyakarta State University
Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Shannye.aktualis@gmail.com
Abstract— Internet addiction in adolescents is
influenced by various factors, both of them are
loneliness and self-esteem. Therefore, this study aims to
examine the loneliness and price to internet addiction in
adolescents. The subjects in this study were 35
adolescents (23 female students and 12 male students)
who are still in Junior High School (SMP) and Senior
High School (SMA) in Kota Ternate at the age of 14-17
years old. The sampling technique used was the simple
random sampling technique. The data was collected by
using questionnaires using scales as the instrument. The
instrument reliability technique in this study was the
Cronbach Alpha. The data were analyzed using the
multiple regression technique. The results show that
loneliness and self-esteem could predict Internet
addiction in adolescents.
Keyword— internet addiction, loneliness, self-esteem,
adolescents
I. INTRODUCTION
The Internet in this era brings huge changes
throughout the world, especially for adolescents who
live in the information era, so they rely more on the
Internet for various purposes [32]. There are three
reasons for the Internet that benefit to someone’s
social connection. First, it could reduce the use of
transaction time in daily life such as online shopping
that helps to facilitate the flexibility of time, so we
may use that time with our family, friends, and
colleagues. Second, it is for various professions such
as journalism, research, computer programming, and
online marketing in which workers use the Internet as
a tool for their work which helps them to build
flexible a home-based office. Third, it is as a
communication tool that more economical than the
others, so it is more efficient to contact the family,
friends, and colleagues. Therefore, the use of the
Internet has a positive effect to the individuals’
welfare [27].
In general, the prevalence of the Internet use in
adolescents today at the age of 12-17 years old is 80
to 90 percent. They use the Internet to open
Facebook, Twitter, Blackberry Messenger, Skype,
and Plurk that have been used by many people in
social networks [11], [31], [40]. Several previous
studies have indicated that the adaptation time of
Copyright © 2019, the Authors. Published by Atlantis Press.
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/).
Endah Retnowati
Graduate School
Yogyakarta State University
Yogyakarta, Indonesia
e.retno.uny@gmail.com
adolescents at the age of 13-14 years old will be
inclined in using social networks to socialize with
friends or family even to look for friends [11], [21].
A large number of the Internet uses allows not
only to provide positive effects for psychological
welfare but also to give negative effects such as
addiction. Addiction is when people cannot choose
freely whether to stop or continue a behavior which
means loss of control, so as to harm themselves [35].
Some previous researches also explain that the
characteristics of people who experience addiction are
the excessive use of the Internet, cannot be controlled,
and unlimited time to use it, so this disrupts the lives
of those people. In addition, Internet addiction causes
the difficulty in adjusting to the environment, which
according to the clinical aspect it is desruptive and the
source of stress [14], [38].
For adolescents, the Internet is as a negative effect
when they experience Internet addiction. According
to some previous studies, there are adverse effects on
adolescents such as psychological well-being
disorders, lack of interactions between family and
friends , poor academic performance that proved by
the decline of their scores, and barriers to the
achievement of psychological development tasks and
disruptions in their life such as isolation [16], [19],
[24]. This underlies reasons to review the variables
that affect the Internet addiction that causes adverse
effects on adolescents. Many factors that cause
Internet addiction relate to low self-control [3], [9],
[25], depression and loneliness [2], [7], [8], [23], [25],
self-esteem [1], [2], [17], [30], and life satisfaction
[2], [6]. However, there are two main factors as the
focus in this research namely loneliness and self-
esteem.
Based on the literature review and previous
research that have been described above, the purpose
of this study is to test the influence of loneliness and
self-esteem of Internet addiction in adolescents. The
importance of this research is to provide a
psychological illustration of Internet addiction that is
thought to be caused by loneliness and self-esteem, so
it may provide appropriate intervention on the issue.
The hypothesis of this study is the existence of
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loneliness and self-esteem as a predictor of Internet
addiction in adolescents.
A. Internet Addiction and Its Correlation with
Loneliness and Self Esteem
Someone who gets addicted to the Internet can
be seen from four aspects [42] as follow:
a) excessive use of the Internet that often relates to
the loss of time awareness or ignoring basic needs, b)
the symptom of afraid to not use the Internet by
feeling fear, nervous, and depression, c) tolerance: the
need for better computer and more software, and the
excessive use of time, d) negative impacts of
argument, lies, poor performance, social isolation, and
fatigue.
Loneliness according to some studies indicates
that loneliness is considered as social isolation that
serves as an important contributor in psychological
improvement and especially about health problems.
Adolescents’ loneliness is considered as a mental
disorder. A study which investigates that loneliness
could happen several times and to stages of live
causes negative feeling and illogical thought. These
results indicate that feelings of loneliness are more
common happen to women than men [13], [28].
Loneliness is the feeling of a person who does not
feel a sense of satisfaction in his/her social
relationship accompanied by symptoms of
psychological pressure associated with the absence of
something or the feeling of loss and the feeling of
deprivation when a person does not get the expected
social relationship [3]. Several dimensions of
loneliness include a) the duration of loneliness, the
lack of self-confidence in new situations and the
length of it, b) social loneliness versus emotional
loneliness, the absence of a complementary figure
such as parents or friends. On the contrary, social
loneliness occurs when a person does not have
satisfaction and is not accepted in the social
environment that makes in his/her social relationship
boring [26].
Both dimensions of loneliness could give an
illustration to a person who gets loneliness. Therefore,
when a person is lonely, she/he often relates to
Internet addiction. Some research finds that loneliness
is the second factor that often relates to PIU
(Problematic Internet Use) which is another term of
Internet addiction. Although the beginning of the
theory said that the use of the Internet is caused by
users who feel lonely by doing social interaction via
the Internet, but another theory appears as the reverse
from the former description. The latest says that
individuals who feel lonely spend more time using the
Internet to reduce their loneliness. Therefore, the use
of the Internet is strongly related to loneliness and
increasingly excessive use of the internet [2], [32].
Other supporting studies confirm the existence of
psychological disorders such as depression and
shyness, included loneliness as the main factor of this
Internet addition. Besides, there is also social anxiety
and dependence which is an important etiological
element of the Internet usage disorder [15], [36].
Therefore, people who feel depressed and lonely can
be more easily exposed to Internet adddiction.
Furthermore, research from [15] shows the
relationship between loneliness and embarrassment
with Problematic Internet Use in adolescents at the
age of 14-15. The result shows the relationship
between these two variables with Problematic Internet
Use with loneliness as a mediator in the relationship.
Besides loneliness, Internet addiction could also
be caused by self-esteem in adolescents [1], [30].
Self-esteem is an experience and a prerequisite to stay
alive, in other hands, every individual believes that
he/she has right to be happy and deserve to enjoy the
success he/she get from the challenges [4], [7].
Individuals who have high self-esteem are those who
have a living awareness, self-concept, self-
responsibility, self-assertiveness, a purpose in life,
and personal integrity. However, when a person does
not have those six pillars, his/her self-esteem will be
low [4].
In some previous studies, it has shown that
adolescents with low self-esteem tend to spend time
in social media networks rather than those with high
self-esteem. In other words, a person with low self-
esteem, especially in women, could cause someone
addicted to the Internet [1], [12], [23]. To know how
one’s self- esteem can be seen from two aspects [5]:
sense of personal efficacy which means an individual
believes in choosing, judging, thinking and taking a
decision and confidence in oneself, and sense of
personal worth which means an individual believes in
the values which are believed have positive attitude
toward the right to live happily .
II. RESEARCH METHOD
The research approach used in this research is a
quantitative approach which is ex post facto research.
The research was conducted in Ternate. The subjects
were 35 adolescents (12 boys and 23 girls). Subjects
in this study were adolescents aged 14-17 years who
are in the moment studying in Junior High School
(SMP) and Senior High School (SMA) because at
these ages the Internet users are at the highest. The
sampling technique used was the simple random
sampling technique. The instrument validity
technique used was the content validity and the
internal consistency while to test the reliability, the
Cronbach alpha technique formula was applied. The
Internet addiction scale has the alpha Cronbach value
at 0.828, the loneliness scale is at 0.691, and the self-
esteem is at 0.643. The data analysis technique used
is multiple regression analysis.
Data collection techniques in this study were g
questionnaires. The research instruments used a
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scale consist of 3 scales: the Internet addiction scale,
the loneliness scale, and the self-esteem scale. The
internet addiction scale consists of 25 statement
items, the second scale is the loneliness scale
consisting of 31 statement items, and the self-esteem
scale consists of 46 statement items. The first scale,
internet addiction, which refers to Young and Abreu
Theory (2011) consists of 4 aspects: excessive use,
withdrawal symptoms, tolerance, and negative
impact, the loneliness scale refers to Peplau Theory
(1988) which consists of 3 aspects: duration, social
loneliness, and emotional loneliness, and the self-
esteem scale refers to Branden’s Theory (1994) which
consists of a sense of personal efficacy and a sense of
personal worth. This study also asked some questions
to find out how long the subjects use the internet in a
day and at what age the subjects start using the
internet so that the percentage of both questions
could be shown.
III. RESULT AND DISCUSSION
A. Result
Diagram 1 presents the time used by adolescents
accessing the Internet. The highest time of the
Internet use in adolescents is 54% about 5-7 hours a
day while 29% of them access the Internet for 7-8
hours a day and 17% of them access the Internet for
9-12 hours a day. Diagram 2 describes the age of the
subjects starting to use the Internet. The results are
that 71% of adolescents have known to access the
Internet at the age of 11-15 , at the age 7-10 by 29%
and at the age of 16-17 by 0%. It can be concluded
that most of them started to use the Internet at the age
of 11-15.
subjects (N) in each variable. It shows that the mean
values of the loneliness variables (m= 92.51, SD =
13.214) and self-esteem variables (m= 124.80, SD=
12.980) with the internet addiction variable (m =
77.74, SD = 14.797). The range of data from the
internet addiction, loneliness, and self-esteem are 46-
109; 69-117; and 109-169.
TABLE I. DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS OF RESEARCH DATA
Statistic Internet Loneliness Self
Addiction Esteem
Mean 77,74 92,51 124,80
Std. Deviation 14,797 13,214 12,980
Minimum 46 69 109
Maximum 109 117 169
The result of multiple regression analysis shows
that the significance test is smaller than alpha (0.05),
so it can be concluded that loneliness and self-esteem
can predict the existence of adolescents who have
internet addiction. The contribution of loneliness
variable and self-esteem to internet addiction is seen
from value F = 3.875, Mean square = 725.703, P =
0.031, R square = 0.195. Because R square = 0.195,
so it can be interpreted that loneliness and self-esteem
only contribute at 19,5% to internet addiction and
80,5 % is donated from other variables that not be
examined in this research -2.741. In table 2. the value
of t-constant number is 4.109 and loneliness = -1.205
and self-esteem = -2.741.
Table 2 presents regression equation obtained in
this group that is Y = 184.141 + (-0.610X). Besides,
the analysis result also shows the result of the
loneliness variable analysis and self-esteem separately
to the internet addiction through t-test. The
significance value of the self-esteem variable is 0.010
which is smaller than the alpha (0.05), while the
significance value at loneliness is 0.237 which shows
greater than alpha (0.05). Therefore, self-esteem can
be used as a predictor of the internet addiction in
adolescents, while loneliness cannot.

TABLE II. COEFFICIENTS

Standar
Unstandardized d
Coefficients Coeffici
Model T Sig.
ents
Std.
B Beta
Error
(Constant) 184,141 44,816 4,109 0,000
Loneliness -0,264 0,219 -0,235 -1,205 0,237
Self esteem -0,61 0,223 -0,535 -2,741 0,010

Table 1 shows descriptive statistics containing

mean, standard deviation, and total number of

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B. Discussion
The results of the analysis through statistical
regression shows that the hypothesis tested in this
study are accepted. This shows that loneliness and
self-esteem can be used as predictors of Internet
addiction in adolescents. Based on the data obtained,
the correlation coefficient between loneliness and
self-esteem of internet addiction is 0.031, and the
coefficient of determination or R square is 0.195. This
figure indicates the contribution of the loneliness
variable and self-esteem researched in this study
amounted to 19.5% while the remaining 80.5% was
contributed by other variables not examined in this
study. This value alone can predict internet addiction
without having to be lonely. This self-esteem
indicates an average value (m = 124.80, SD =
12.980). This shows that in adolescents, the level of
their self-esteem is low, so low self-esteem can
predict internet addiction because self-esteem can
describe feelings of meaning and security in
adolescents so that adolescents are able to show
themselves to others, how they behave and how
considerate they are in their environment, but if they
do not get it then they will experience low self-
esteem [41].
In addition, the results obtained from the average
value on loneliness are (m= 92.51, SD = 13.214).
However, loneliness does not affect internet addiction
in adolescents. It is because basically adolescents
who are in loneliness could be caused by several
factors namely a) the role of internal and external
emotional regulations. Those are very important to
adolescents’ development and adjustment because
when a teenager get unpleasant things that affect
his/her self-esteem, life satisfaction, and optimism, it
is necessary to regulate and manage emotions and
maintain themselves positively and reduce their
loneliness by themselves (b) the existence of a
positive self-concept, otherwise the adolescent has a
negative self-concept and will tend to perceive
themselves as bad and have no reliable ability,
resulting in feelings of insecurity, lack of self-
acceptance and usually low self-esteem. This suggests
that adolescents could not form friendly friendships
that could lead to loneliness [18], [29], [34], c) the
quality of relationship with parents may reduce
loneliness in adolescents. This is because adolescents
need interpersonal closeness with their parents, show
emotional and behavioral reactions. Adolescents who
lose a figure from parents could feel lonely [10],
[20], and d) social skills in adolescents could be
linked to loneliness. Good social skills will reduce
social loneliness [18].
IV. CONCLUSION
Based on the above analysis results, loneliness and
self-esteem could together predict internet addiction
in adolescents, but if both of them are separated, the
results show that loneliness and internet addiction
have no significant relationship. Self-esteem and
internet addiction have a significant relationship
especially for the adolescents who have low self-
esteem. There are other factors that become
predictors of internet addiction, such as self-control,
depression, low life satisfaction level, so that the
loneliness factor does not affect a person getting
internet addiction.
Suggestion
There are two suggestions that would be given by
the researchers. The first is for parents of adolescents.
They must keep a good relationship with their
children, so loneliness does not occur to the children,
because one factor of loneliness that occurs to the
children is relating to the parents’ role. The second is
for further research. It is expected the further research
to be made clearest in the methodological side by
adding or observing other variables and other research
subjects.
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