title: Liar, liar: internet faking but not frequency of use affects social skills, self-esteem, social anxiety, and aggression.
abstract: Misuse of the Internet can affect various aspects of children's social lives. It was predicted that children who misrepresent themselves on the Internet would have less well-developed social skills, lower levels of self-esteem, and higher levels of social anxiety and aggression. The frequency of Internet use was also assessed. Students aged 11-16 years were recruited for the study from classes after obtaining consent. Questionnaires included a query of Internet behaviors, the Matson Evaluation of Social Skills with Youngsters Appropriate Social Skills and Inappropriate Assertiveness subscales, Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale, and the Social Anxiety Scale for Children-Revised. It was found that children who reported the most faking behavior on the Internet (e.g., pretending to be older) had poorer social skills, lower levels of self-esteem, higher levels of social anxiety, and higher levels of aggression. Frequency of use, however, did not affect these factors in the current study.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Northwestern State University, Natchitoches, LA 71497, USA.
authors.forename: Jeffrey P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Harman
authors.forename: Catherine E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Hansen
authors.forename: Margaret E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Cochran
authors.forename: Cynthia R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Lindsey
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000339:Affect; D000374:Aggression / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D008192:Deception; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D012649:Self Concept; D012919:Social Behavior; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires