Gendered Patterns and Prevalence of Internet Use among Adolescents: Evidence from Varanasi, India
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.48165/IJEE.2026.62313Keywords:
Internet, Adolescents, Gender, YouTube, Social media.Abstract
The rapid expansion of internet access has profoundly influenced adolescents’ daily routines, revealing emerging differences in usage patterns based on gender. The purpose of this study was to investigate the gender difference in internet usage patterns and its frequency. This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among nine senior secondary schools in the Varanasi district. The study administered a questionnaire containing closed-ended questions. The survey was conducted from March 2024 to August 2024 among randomly sampled 200 students aged 15 to 18 years. It was found that smartphone ownership was high among both male (94.1%) and female (88.9%) participants. YouTube and WhatsApp emerged as the most preferred applications for both genders. Males were more likely to have public social media accounts compared to females, and they share photos and videos on them. Males were significantly more engaged in online gaming, while females showed higher engagement in social media, online chatting, educational activities, and news. Binary logistic regression analysis further revealed that gender significantly predicted engagement in online gaming, with males more likely to participate. The study highlights notable gender disparities in Internet usage patterns, focusing on the intensity of use. These results emphasize the necessity of gender-sensitive digital literacy programs and policy measures to encourage adolescents to use the internet in balance way.
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