Male, city dwellers more addicted to the Internet

Two studies by the Health Ministry and Medical Faculty of Gazi University have revealed that Turkish men spend more time on social media compared to women. The studies also found that people living in urban areas are much more use to the Internet compared to people in rural areas. The Health Ministry's study, "A study about the effects of Internet addiction on individuals' health for under-18 and literate individuals," which was conducted with the participation of over 100,000 people, found that while 88 percent of participants are able to use a computer, 8.4 percent of those users have an Internet addiction. Of those addicted to the Internet, 42 percent are female and 58 percent are male. Internet addiction is rising in urban areas due to the increased annual income of families. The ministry expects that the rate of Internet addicts will reach 24.6 percent by 2023.

A similar study by the Medical Faculty of Gazi University found men, singles, the unemployed and people who have a monthly income of below TL 1,000 TL ($361) or over TL 5,000 are the groups most prone to Internet addiction. The study found that 34.4 percent of the participants use the Internet for socializing, while 25.2 percent use it for information and 13 percent use it for gaming purposes. Professor Mustafa İlhan from the Department of Public Health at Gazi University's Medical Faculty said that 47.8 percent of participants regularly use the Internet and 26.5 percent do not use it at all. Among Internet users, 48.8 percent spend time on the Internet for up to nine hours a week and 30.3 percent use it for 20 hours a week.