Problematic Internet Use Among Primary School Children: A Narrative Review of Mental Health and Socioecological Correlates

Background/Objectives: Digital technologies are increasingly embedded in children’s everyday lives, yet problematic Internet use (PIU) remains conceptually heterogeneous and has been studied mainly in adolescents. This narrative review aimed to synthesize recent empirical evidence on how Internet use and its problematic manifestations are conceptualized and measured among primary school children and to identify individual and contextual factors associated with the specific Internet-related outcomes assessed from a socioecological perspective. Methods: This narrative review was informed by focused, non-exhaustive searches conducted in APA PsycInfo, Web of Science Core Collection, and PubMed for recent quantitative empirical research published between 2021 and 2026 involving primary school populations. Eighteen studies considered directly relevant to the review objectives constituted the central body of literature for the descriptive and interpretive narrative synthesis. Results: The studies used heterogeneous terminology, ranging from general or risky Internet use to problematic smartphone and video game use, Internet addiction, and Internet gaming disorder. Of the 18 included studies, 12 used cross-sectional designs, limiting the ability to draw causal inferences from the reported associations. Higher levels or a greater likelihood of problematic use were associated with family conflict, insecure attachment, maladaptive parenting practices, parental technology dependence, socioemotional difficulties, externalizing problems, peer victimization, deviant peer affiliation, and intensive recreational digital use. Positive parent–child relationships, parental supervision, authoritative parenting, parental digital competence, positive peer communication, resilience, traditional games, and a positive school climate were associated with lower levels or a lower likelihood of the corresponding Internet-related outcomes. One of the studies concerning traditional games assessed general Internet use rather than PIU. Within the focused body of literature, only one study provided school-level evidence, and none examined community-level factors. Conclusions: PIU may serve as an umbrella term for organizing heterogeneous Internet-related constructs, provided that the conceptual and methodological distinctions among the specific outcomes are preserved. The reported associations span individual and contextual domains, but the predominance of cross-sectional evidence prevents causal interpretation. These findings may inform hypotheses and priorities for developmentally appropriate prevention; however, they should not be regarded as demonstrating the effectiveness of particular interventions. Future research should employ longitudinal designs and more standardized terminology and validated assessment instruments.