Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Formative Research
Date Submitted: Apr 30, 2025
Date Accepted: Jul 15, 2025
Mitigating the Negative Effects of Internet Browsing on Young People’s Resilience and Outlook in Life Through Classic Grimm Fairy Tales: Exploratory Randomized Control Study
ABSTRACT
Background:
Internet browsing is a daily activity for many young people. However, how internet browsing impacts young people’s resilience and positive (vs. negative) outlook in life remains largely unaddressed. Critically, how reading classical fairy tales may mitigate the influence of internet browsing on resilience and foster a more positive rather than negative outlook in life has yet to be explored.
Objective:
This study examines the impact of internet browsing on young people’s resilience and positive (vs. negative) outlook in life. Furthermore, this study aims to examine the potential mitigating effect of reading classical Grimm Brother’s fairy tales such as Hansel and Gretel and Little Red Riding Hood on the relationship between internet browsing and postgraduate students’ resilience and outlook in life.
Methods:
A laboratory experiment was conducted, employing a 2 (Internet browsing vs. no internet browsing) × 2 (Reading a classical fairy tale vs. no classical fairy tale) between-subject design. All study participants (N = 412) were postgraduate students and randomly assigned to one of the study’s four conditions and answered a brief questionnaire, examining their resilience and positive vs. negative outlook in life. To examine the potential mitigating effect of classical fairy tales on the relationship between internet browsing and resilience as well as positive vs. negative outlook in life, we conducted a bootstrapping-based moderated mediation analysis with 5,000 resamples.
Results:
The results showed a significant moderating role of reading classical Grimm fairy tales on the impact of internet browsing on postgraduate students’ resilience and positive outlook in life. Specifically, when study participants browsed the internet, they reported a more positive outlook in life when they read a Grimm fairy tale (Mreadfairtytale= 5.46, SD = .151 vs. Mnotreadfairytale = .3.01, SD = .150; SE = .213; p <.001, CI= [-2.860, -2.024]). Furthermore, the results showed that the effect of internet browsing on outlook on life is mediated by resilience (Effect = .85, SE = .17, 95% CI = [.52, 1.20]). Together, these results highlight the positive effect of classical fairy tales on people’s outlook in life via resilience.
Conclusions:
The findings of this study show that reading a classical Brother Grimm fairy tale, such as Hansel and Gretel or Little Red Riding Hood, mitigated the negative impact of internet browsing and significantly boosted postgraduate students’ resilience and enhanced their positive outlook in life. Clinical Trial: ISRCTN 16972408
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