Influence of Social Networking on the Development of Internet Addiction in Medical University Students

Abstract

Introduction: The number of studies on health effects of social networking in young people has increased recently, but their results are inconsistent. Objective: To analyze the impact of social networking on the development of Internet addiction disorders among medical university students. Materials and methods: A survey of 403 medical students from the Russian cities of Moscow, Kaliningrad, and Voronezh was conducted in January–March, 2022 using a questionnaire developed by S.A. Kulakov to identify the influence of Internet or an already developed Internet addiction, and later tested and recommended for hygienic research by Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences A.G. Sukharev. The mean age of students was 20.1 ± 0.08 years. Statistical data analysis was carried out using standard methods in Microsoft Excel and Statistica 13.0; we also did descriptive statistics and estimated relative risks. Results: According to the Screen Time app, the average time of social networking among the students was 250.3 ± 14.0 minutes a day. Three or more social networks were used daily by 53.5 % of the respondents. Our questionnaire-based survey revealed 2.3 % of the students with Internet addiction disorders and 13.9 % of those strongly influenced by the Net. Conclusion: The relative risk of developing Internet addiction among the medical university students posed by two or more hours a day of social networking was 4.167 (95.0 % CI, 2.558–31.130). This factor, however, is manageable and should be taken into account in health education of medical students.