Restricting Internet use by young Internet users – a sign of digital self-regulation or the illusion of control

The aim of this article is to present the characteristics of the phenomenon of reducing online use and the results of a preliminary, exploratory qualitative study conducted with a group of young people. The aim of the qualitative research was to diagnose the experiences and readiness of young people to undertake activities related to reducing Internet use and to identify factors supporting and hindering the process of reducing online activity. The survey was conducted in October 2024 among students of the Warsaw School of Economics. The method used was a critical analysis of the literature on the subject and a group interview, the data from which were analysed with the qualitative data analysis software MaxQda. The findings indicate the existence of a paradox of digital self-regulation. On the one hand, respondents recognize and perfectly describe the negative consequences of their excessive online presence, declaring the need to limit its use. They are also familiar with the various tools supporting the reduction of Internet use. On the other hand, however, they do not take real action towards digital self-regulation. This means that young people remain “suspended” between a growing self-awareness of their own digital habits and the difficulty of taking real action to reduce their attachment to the web. This internal conflict means that, although they have the knowledge and tools to self-regulate, actually changing their behaviour remains only declarative.

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