Internet problematic use in primary school children: preliminary results from an italian community sample.

International literature has highlighted the correlation between Problematic Internet Use (PIU) and the development of adaptation problems in youth (for a review see Durkee et al., 2012; Sim et al., 2012). Previous research on this topic show association of PIU with the preference for solitary activities and low sociability, with depressive traits and with developmental problems. The prevalence of PIU is esteemed between 0.8% and 18.3% from international samples (Kuss, Griffiths & Binder, 2013). The present study is aimed at verify if an uncontrolled use of the Internet and of online activities is correlated with negative outcomes in the psychological adaptation of children, in terms of internalizing/externalizing behaviors, coping strategies and quality of interpersonal relations.