Internet Addiction And Associated Factors: A Study Among College Students In South India

Introduction : The excessive and inappropriate use of Internet is a growing concern in the current tech-savy World.The youth are particularly vulnerable to this problem which may ruin their very critical academic career.The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of Internet Addiction pattern and to analyse the associated factors among the college students from various education field. Methodology : This is a cross sectional study, in which 596 college students studying in Arts,Engineering and Medicine were assessed using a self-administered questionairre. Information regarding demographic factors was collected and Internet Addiction pattern determined by Young’s Internet Addiction test scale. Results : The findings show that out of 596 students, 246(41.3%) were mild addicts, 91(15.2%) were moderate addicts and 259(43.5%) were not addicted to internet use.There is no pattern of severe internet addiction among the study group.Males, students of Arts and Engineering stream, those staying at home, no extracurricular activity involvement, time spent on internet per day, mode of accessing internet are some of the factors significantly associated with internet addiction pattern. Conclusion : The prevalence of Internet Addiction is high, were in more than half of the study group show some form of Internet Addiction pattern.The internet addiction problem among students should gain attention and it is time to evolve an comprehensive intervention appraoach to promote a healthy and safe Internet use.