Use of computers, Internet, smartphones and other similar electronic devices has drastically increased in the last decades in most of the developed and developing countries of the world. It helps people to connect withthe world much easier than before and it promotes many public health activities in aspects of providing information to the public, faciliting pro-social activites and few other factors. But the excessive use of these electronic devices creates a concern.

Use of these devices vary widely and it can lead to addictive behaviours characterized by uncontrollable impulse to engage repeatedly in using these devices for the purpose of video gaming, retrieving pornographic materials, gambling, social media and other purposes despite of the hazards caused by them to various domains of a person’s life like physical, social, mental and financial wellbeing [1].

This may emerge as a major public health problem globally and warrants immediate consideration. Internet addiction has been broadly defined as use of Internet which interfere with a person’s health and leads tosocial, psychological, school and/or work difficulties [2]. It is also revealed that 88.3% of people with internet addiction have two other co-occurring conditions [3].

Few studies have reported internet addiction as an addictive behaviour or as an impulse-control disorder [4,5]. Addiction to internet has also been mentioned asa Behavioural Addiction as it results in a persistent behavior among the users despite being aware of its adverse effects.

Block suggested four diagnostic criteria for internet addiction as [1] excessive use of internet associated with neglecting basic drives or loss of time sense [2] withdrawal symptoms like feelings of anger, depression and tension when Internet becomes inaccessible; [3] tolerance, includes need for better computer equipments, more hours of use, more software; [4] adverse consequences (e.g., lateness for early morning appointments, neglect of occupational duties, sleep deprivation, marital difficulties) [6].

Worldwide various studies have assessed the addictive internet use and its health hazards among different population, but there is paucity of evidence in the current geographic region [7-9].

The person is in need to evaluate and address the problems because of the impacts of Internet use on their life.

Procedure: The current study was conducted in an urban school selected based on convenient sampling. The objectives of the study were explained and permission was obtained from the school officials. Parents were informed regarding the objectives of the study and written consent was obtained from them.

Data was collected from the students after explaining the purpose of the study and after obtaining their willingness for participation in the study.Contents of the questionnaire were explained and data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire and privacy was maintained during data collection.

Data entry and analysis: Data was entered in Microsoft excel sheet 2010 and was analyzed using SPSS software version 21. Descriptive analysis was done and results were expressed in prevalence percentages.

Age, gender distribution and social class of study participants were as follows (Table 1)

Table-1: Socio-demographic characteristics of study participants (n=150)

Among the 150 study participants, majority (64%) are in 14 years and 52% belong to upper social class as per Modified Kuppuswamy Socio-economic scale.

Levels of internet addiction among students were shown in Figure.1

With regard to gender and internet addiction, moderate addiction is observed to be more among male students. But there is no statistical significance in difference of addictive internet use observed between males and females (p value =0.66).

The current study done in school students has showed that among the 150 study participants, 63(42%) are in mild addiction level, 29(19.3%) are categorized under moderate addiction level and 5(3.3%) comes under severe addiction level. Around 43.4% were using internet for social networking followed by 27.3% for watching movies and listening to music. Study by Olatokun WM et al [11] among 300 secondary level school students in Nigeria showed that 125 (47.9%) of participants use Internet weekly, 23.8% use monthly, 47 participants use internet daily and 7.7% mentioned the use of internet fortnightly. This is comparable with the current study, in which 22% used internet during weekends and 43% were using daily. Study by Sharahi BY et al [12] among 340 students showed widespread use of internet among students inmany cases and there exists a significant relationship between internet dependence and reduced academic performance. It has reduced their leisure time, has affected their communication with others, related to aggressive tendencies, leads to social isolation. Study by Niemz K et al [13] among 371 British students with a Pathological Internet Use (PIU) scale, the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) revealed that 18.3% of students were categorized as pathological Internet users, as their internet use was associated with their social, academic and interpersonal problems. Other results showed that pathological Internet users had lower self-esteem and were more socially disinhibited. However, there was no significant difference in GHQ scores. The current study showed significant issues because of internet use among 5 (3.3%) students. Study by Keith J Anderson [14] among 1300 college students in US revealed an average use of internet of 100 minutes per day among study participants and 6% use internet for more than 400 minutes per day. This show a higher duration of internet use among the students when compared with the present study were 6% were using internet for more than 2 hours a day, 17% for 1-2 hours a day and 35% were using it rarely. Study by Ronald Tarimo and George Kavishe [15] in Tanzania among 120 students showed 78 (87.6%) of students were using Internet services for gaming and downloading music,

and review

Dr Krishnaleela G: Involved in designing the study, manuscript writing and review