The Prevalence of Internet Addiction and Associated Factors among School-Going Adolescents in Ahmedabad

Abstract

Background: The Internet is an integral part of modern life, and for the vast majority of Internet users, its benefits far outweigh the adverse consequences secondary to excessive use. Increasing internet use among adolescents is also likely to pose a major public health concern that is internet addiction (IA). Aim: To assess the prevalence of IA among school?going adolescents and the factors associated with IA. Methodology: A cross?sectional study was carried out to survey adolescents studying in 8th to 10th standard of three schools of Ahmedabad. The sample size was calculated 384 by using the formula (n = Z2pq/d2). Information regarding sociodemography and various patterns of internet use were obtained by using survey forms. Young’s IA test (IAT) Questionnaire was used to screen for IA. Results : The prevalence of Internet Addiction (IA) was 67.5%, 27% and 5.5% with normal (IAT < 50), moderate (IAT 50-79) and severe addiction (IAT 80-100) respectively. Age, male gender, owning a personal device, hours of internet use per day, use of smartphones, permanent login status, online shopping, watching movies, online gaming, searching information online were found to be significantly associated with severity of IA. Conclusion: Our study revealed a relatively high prevalence of internet addiction among younger participants and that requires awareness and intervention towards risk factors of internet addiction.