Pattern of internet addiction among adolescent school students of a North Indian city

Abstract

Background: In recent years, the internet and mobile technology have become increasingly important and essential to the educational and social lives of adolescents. But in many cases this use is becoming obsessive and at the expense of other aspects of their life. Almost 35% of internet users in India are adolescents and so this study was conducted to assess the prevalence of internet overuse among school going adolescent students.Methods: It was a cross-sectional survey conducted among 300 students in three private schools in the city of Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh. Young’s twenty question internet addiction test questionnaire was used to measure internet addiction.Results: 61.34% students started using internet after 12yrs of age while 38.66% students said that they started using internet before 12 year of age. 26.33% students spent 4 hour or more online per day. 28.66% students admitted that their school work was often delayed or incomplete due to spending more time on internet. Out of 300 students, 24.00% (72) were in the score range of 50-79 i.e. moderate addiction and 06.33% (19) were in the score range of 80-100 i.e. severe addiction.Conclusions: Parents and schools need to counsel their adolescent children regarding appropriate use of internet and balancing of time between internet surfing, studies and outdoor physical activities.