INTERNET USAGE AND RELATED BEHAVIOR PATTERNS OF PRIMARY SCHOOL CHILDREN: PERCEIVED DIFFERENCES BETWEEN GIRLS AND BOYS IN CROATIA

Abstract

Purpose: Children in the Republic of Croatia are, as everywhere else in the world, active users of information and communication i.e. digital technologies, which is reflected in their daily habits and routines in the digital environment. The purpose of this paper is to find out if there are gender-based differences in behavior and established habits in the digital environment between boys and girls.

Methodology: Quantitative research was carried out using the CAWI method among 400 parents or guardians in the Republic of Croatia who provided answers on (their own) children of primary school age. This paper focuses on the segment of children and their gender, i.e. the existence (or the lack of existence) of differences in the behavior of boys and girls in a digital environment. The statistically significant differences are demonstrated by testing various variables between the two above-mentioned segments.

Results: The research results indicate that, on average, girls and boys start to use the Internet at the same age, approximately at the age of 6. However, there are noticeable differences between the sexes in terms of the habits and in the way they use the Internet.

Conclusion: The conclusion shows that boys more frequently have desktop computers, laptops, and gaming consoles, and prefer to play online games and spend time in the online world, while girls more often post and publicly share photos, video records, and music. They equally use the Internet on weekdays, but boys spend more time on Internet activities on weekends.