Pattern of internet use among college going adolescent students in Nagpur city: A cross sectional study

Abstract

Background: The internet has playing extensive role in our daily lives. Internet use has both positive and negative aspects. The use of the internet on schools campus and in society has increased dramatically in recent years. College students are, especially vulnerable to developing dependence on internet, more than most other segments of the society. Objectives: To assess pattern of internet usage in adolescents studying in colleges of Nagpur city and to assess the preferred use of internet in them. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 218 college going students studying in Junior college, 11th and 12th standard and Ist, IInd year senior college. The questionnaires used to collect data were a pretested, semistructured, self-administered questionnaire, which was used to collect socio-demographic variables, pattern, and preferred use of internet. Descriptive statistics were calculated to summarize baseline characteristics and pattern of internet use of the study subjects. Results: The mean age of the study subjects was 17.39 ± 1.35 years range was 15-19 years. The pattern of internet use was seen in our study, majority students were using computer for the past 4 years, whereas the majority of students were using internet for the last 4 years. Chatting was most common preferred use reported in our study, followed by shopping 140 (64.22%). Conclusions: There is a need to make aware both students and parents about the positive and negative effect of internet use.