Aims – The purpose of this research is to make a contribution to analysing the complex issue of the relationship between Internet use and psychological disorders, and proposes a survey of the typical features and effects of such use among a sample of secondary school students. Pattern – The research was carried out on a sample of 1075 students aged 14-21 from two secondary schools, where students are prevalently male in one and female in the other; computer science is part of the teaching programme in both institutes. Instruments used – General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), Goldberg's 28-item version, together with a form to collect individual and social data and information about the actual use of Internet, such as number of years, number of hours a day/a week, subjective experience, quantitative-qualitative perception of the connection. Results – There is a clear and significant correlation between weekly hours of use and GHQ scores. Conclusions – Analysis of our sample confirms certain statements found in the relevant literature concerning a possible relationship between the use of Internet and psychological disorders.

Declaration of Interest: none.