Internet Addiction among College Students from 20 Countries: Scoping Review of Risk Factors and Impact on Academic Procrastination and Sleep Quality

Abstract

The internet is integral in the life of a college student. Notwithstanding the growing number of studies on students’ vulnerability to the misuse of the internet, few reviews have been done so far to synthesise the risks of internet addiction and its relationship with academic procrastination and sleep quality. This review aimed at synthesising studies to understand the internet addiction risks among college students and its association with academic procrastination and sleep quality. We conducted our main search using PubMed, PubMed Central, JSTOR and Dimensions. Our search yielded 4,365 records, with an additional 13 from Google Scholar and Google searches. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses, 50 eligible records were included in the final review. The risk of internet addiction among college students was high among males, those under 20 years old, and those with regular social media use. Additionally, college students with academic challenges and those living with mental health conditions like depressive episodes, anxiety, stress, low self-esteem and impulsivity were more prone to developing internet addiction. Furthermore, internet addiction influences college students' academic procrastination and sleep issues such as insomnia, poor sleep quality, daytime drowsiness, usage of sleep aids, restless nights, sleep latency and sleep deprivation. Internet addiction affects college students' academic procrastination and sleep quality. Re-orienting existing mental health services rendered by colleges may help address internet addiction by establishing special deaddiction clinics to support addicted students.