Internet Addiction and Associated Factors Among High School Students in Binh Tri Dong ward, Ho Chi Minh City, 2023

Internet addiction has emerged as a growing concern among adolescents, posing significant risks to their mental health and social relationships. A cross-sectional study was conducted between March – April 2023 among 322 high school students in Ho Chi Minh City, selected through stratified random sampling. The Internet Addiction Test (IAT) was employed to assess addiction levels, and associated factors were analyzed using multivariate logistic regression. The study found that among the participants, 192 out of 322 students (59.6%) were classified as having Internet addiction. Factors significantly associated with higher internet addiction rate included lower grade level [OR = 0.65 (95% CI: 0.48 – 0.90)], poorer peer relationships [OR = 2.34 (95% CI: 1.31 – 4.18)] and lower behavior ratings [OR = 2.29 ( 95% CI:1.10 – 4.79)], greater parental overprotection [OR = 1.92 (95% CI: 1.12 – 3.28)], I and Internet use primarily for social networking (compared with academic purposes [OR = 0.19 (95% CI: 0.09 – 0.40)] or gaming [OR = 0.27 (95% CI: 0.13 – 0.57)].Accessing the Internet mainly via mobile phones also showed a higher risk compared with laptops [OR = 0.35 (95% CI: 0.16 – 0.78)] or wired connections [OR = 0.48 (95% CI: 0.25 – 0.94)]. Internet addiction was highly prevalent among high school students and associated with academic, familial, and behavioral factors. Interventions involving schools, families, and community programs are essential to pomote healthier digital habits and reduce related risks.