Behaviour Change | Volume 21 | Number 2 | 2004 | pp. 90–102 90 Internet Use, Identity Development and Social Anxiety Among Young Adults Dennis Mazalin and Susan Moore Swinburne University of Technology, Australia Contradictory evidence exists regarding the benefit of the Internet for social and personal wellbeing, with some studies indicating deleterious effects and others possible social enrichment. The potential for increased social isolation from ‘over- involvement’ in online activities or, conversely, the Internet’s possibilities for enhancing social relationships, may be particularly salient during young adult- hood and adolescence because of the special importance of the peer group during this developmental phase. This study was an investigation of the relationships between the levels of identity development, Internet use and social anxiety among a sample of 161 older adolescents/young adults aged between 18 and 25. Results indicated that, for males only, higher levels of social anxiety and less mature identity statuses were associated with more frequent Internet use, specifi- cally time spent in chatrooms, online browsing for personal use, and games. For females (who were in this sample less socially anxious, more identity-developed, and lower users of the Internet than males), social anxiety and identity status were not significantly associated with time spent online. Discussion centred around the potential roles of Internet use in reinforcing already-existing social anxiety or, alternatively, in supporting and maintaining social contacts in those with lower levels of social deficit. T he Internet has evolved into a ‘social technology’ that is continually challenging researchers to examine its effects on numerous facets of social life (Kraut et al., 1998). The issue that attracts the most contention appears to be whether the Internet is enhancing or harming participation in community life and social relationships. Some writers emphasise its educational utility, claiming that online interactions liber- ate users from traditional constraints such as time and place, which results in more frequent and better social relationships. However, it is also argued that the Internet may facilitate social isolation, limit genuine social relationships, and even lead to Internet addiction, to the ultimate detriment of individual wellbeing (Wolfradt & Doll, 2001). This study examines young adults’ use of the Internet and the relation- ships between time spent online and developmentally relevant aspects of wellbeing and social relationships — identity status and social anxiety. In an influential longitudinal study by Kraut et al. (1998), increases in Internet use were associated with declines in the size of a person’s social circle and family communication, and increases in depression and loneliness. These effects were Address for correspondence: Professor Susan Moore, School of Social and Behavioural Sciences (Mail 24), Swinburne University of Technology, PO Box 218, Hawthorn, Vic. 3122, Australia. E-mail: smoore@swin.edu.au