ORIGINAL ARTICLE |
https://doi.org/10.5005/jp-journals-11001-0084 |
An Exploratory Study about the Use and Patterns of Internet Use among Adolescents in a High School
1Department of Clinical Psychology, Gauhati Medical College Hospital, Guwahati, Assam, India
2Department of Psychiatry, Dhubri Medical College Hospital, Dhubri, Assam, India
3Department of Psychiatry, Spreeha Wellbeings, Guwahati, Assam, India
4,6Department of Psychiatry, Gauhati Medical College Hospital, Guwahati, Assam, India
5Department of Psychiatry, Mizoram University, Aizawl, Mizoram, India
7Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Digestive and Liver Diseases, Dispur Hospitals Pvt. Ltd., Guwahati, Assam, India
8Department of Psychiatry, Nalbari Medical College Hospital, Nalbari, Assam, India
Corresponding Author: Simanta Talukdar, Department of Psychiatry, Nalbari Medical College Hospital, Nalbari, Assam, India, e-mail: simanta_talukdar@yahoo.com
Received on: 25 July 2024; Accepted on: 30 October 2024; Published on: 16 November 2024
ABSTRACT
In the recent decade, there has been a noted transformation in the use of the internet across the globe in all age-groups. With the advent of digitalization, there has been a rapid flux in internet usage patterns and problems of internet addiction among teenagers and young people due to insufficient personal and social maturity, novelty seeking, and a noncritical attitude toward self and others. This study aimed to understand the patterns and prevalence of internet use and factors leading to internet use among adolescents in an urban city in Northeast India. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 480 students from 9th to 12th grades from a private English medium school using a purposive sampling method. The study utilized semistructured questionnaires to collect the data. The majority of the respondents were male (67.3%) and belonged to the age-group of 15–16 years (60.4%). More than two-thirds of the respondents (73.5%) had used the internet for >2 years, and daily usage was the most common (41.9%). The most frequently used online applications were search engines (49%) and social networking (41%). Findings indicate both positive and negative factors leading to increased use of the internet. A significant number used it to learn new things, develop new interests, and update their knowledge, while passing time without any constructive purpose, coping with stress, and becoming socially isolated were negative consequences. Online gaming has been a common factor in internet use, which could become a behavioral addiction if not checked during adolescence.
How to cite this article: Hazarika M, Das S, Choudhury S, et al. An Exploratory Study about the Use and Patterns of Internet Use among Adolescents in a High School. East J Psychiatry 2024;24(2):51-55.
Source of support: Nil
Conflict of interest: None
Conflict of interest: Dr Shyamanta Das is associated as Editor-in-Chief of this journal and this manuscript was subjected to this journal’s standard review procedures, with this peer review handled independently of the Editor-in-Chief and his research group.
Keywords: Addiction, Adolescents, Internet.
INTRODUCTION
The expansion of the internet since the 20th and 21st centuries, along with digitalization, has given the world quick access to information and the ease of seeking and disseminating knowledge, improved communication patterns, and technical skill training. Today, the internet has become unavoidable in our daily lives and increasingly popular across age-groups. According to the Internet World Stats, the number of internet users worldwide increased from 360 million1 to 4,536 million,2 showing a worldwide internet penetration rate of 58.8%. In India, there were about 560 million internet users in June 2019, compared to only 5 million in December 2000, indicating that the rate of internet penetration was 40.9% of the population, which represents 24.3% of internet users in Asia. The easy accessibility and affordability of the internet have expanded its user base. India is the second-largest internet user globally. Internet and broadband penetration in India are increasing steadily, with 665.31 million internet users in 2019.3
However, research is also highlighting the significant negative consequences of the increasing use of the internet in our personal, family/social, emotional, and work domains. The term internet addiction refers to “excessive or poorly controlled preoccupations, urges, or behaviors regarding computer use and internet access that lead to impairment or distress.”4-6 Clinically, internet addiction is associated with symptoms such as preoccupation with the internet, heavier or more frequent use of the internet than intended, persistent desire to use the internet more, loss of interest in other activities, disregard for the known negative consequences of heavy internet use, withdrawal, and tolerance.7 A recent meta-analytical study has highlighted that the overall prevalence of internet addiction in India is 40.7%, with about 20–40% of college students in India at risk for internet addiction.8,9
India is one of the youngest populations globally, and this population is extremely vulnerable to internet addiction, requiring immediate attention, early diagnosis, and appropriate intervention. Therefore, this study was conducted to plan for indicated intervention in the target population.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
A cross-sectional study was conducted with the students from grades 9 to 12 at a private English-medium school in Guwahati, Assam, using a purposive sampling method. Ethical clearance for the study was obtained from the Institutional Ethics Committee of Gauhati Medical College and Hospital. Informed consent was taken from the principal of the school. Assents from the students were also taken. Anonymity and confidentiality were stringently maintained.
For the study, semistructured questionnaires were adapted from a similar study done in Assam as part of dissertation work to determine the occurrence of internet use among college students. Tools included for the study were:
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Sociodemographic variables of age (in years), gender, and education standard.
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Internet use variables, questions regarding internet use (hours/day), place of access, types of frequent web applications to be chosen, situational triggers for internet use, and source of skill acquisition for internet use.
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Factors leading to internet use: it is a 34-item scale with a 3-point Likert scale consisting of responses ranging from (1) never, (2) sometimes, and (3) always, identifying the factors leading to internet use.10
Descriptive statistics were used to describe the data, including frequencies and percentages for categorical variables, and mean values with standard deviations for continuous variables.
RESULTS
The study included a total sample of 480, of which 67.3% (n = 323) were male and 32.3% (n = 157) were female. The majority of respondents belonged to the age-group of 15–16 years, which accounted for 60.4% (n = 290) of the population. Data on educational standards indicated that 50.4% (n = 242) of the total population were in the 11th standard, 20.4% (n = 98) were in the 12th standard, and the remaining 14.6% (n = 70) each were in the 9th and 10th standards (Tables 1 and 2).
| Variables | Youth (N = 480) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequency (n) | Percentage (%) | ||
| Sex | Male | 323 | 67.3 |
| Female | 157 | 32.7 | |
| Age | 13–14 years | 54 | 11.3 |
| 15–16 years | 290 | 60.4 | |
| 17–18 years | 136 | 28.3 | |
| Educational standard | 9th standard | 70 | 14.6 |
| 10th standard | 70 | 14.6 | |
| 11th standard | 242 | 50.4 | |
| 12th standard | 98 | 20.4 | |
| Variables | (N = 480) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequency (n) | Percentage (%) | ||
| Time period of internet usage | >2 years | 353 | 73.5 |
| 1–2 years | 75 | 15.6 | |
| 6 months–1 year | 19 | 4 | |
| <6 months | 31 | 6.5 | |
| Intensity of internet usage | Daily | 201 | 41.9 |
| 2–3 days a week | 128 | 26.7 | |
| Weekly | 50 | 10.4 | |
| Once a week | 30 | 6.3 | |
| Rarely | 69 | 14.4 | |
Figures 1 to 4 depict that the maximum percentage of the population, that is, 39%, use the internet daily for 1–2 hours, with the usual mode of communication for internet usage among females being personal computers or laptops (59.2%), and 38.9% using mobile phones for internet access. Among males, the proportions are slightly different, with 49.5% having access through personal computers and 47.1% having access through mobile phones.11-13
Fig. 1: Figures depicting duration of internet use and means of internet use among youth
Fig. 2: Figure depicting online applications used frequently among youth
Fig. 3: Figure depicting positive factors related to internet use among adolescents: the figure highlights the potential benefits of internet use for adolescents. The internet can be a valuable tool for learning, exploration, and connection
Fig. 4: Figure depicting factors related to internet use among adolescents: the figure highlights some factors which can be potential concerns
As the Figure 2 depicts, 49% of the youth use the internet for search engines (Google, Wikipedia), 41% use the internet for social networking (Facebook, Instagram), and only a minimal proportion (4%) use the internet for shopping sites and online games.
DISCUSSION
Increasing availability, wider acceptance, and exponential growth of the internet have led to increased vulnerability among adolescents to internet addiction. Post-COVID, the increased need and dependency on mobile devices and laptops among students is posing a major threat to uncontrolled usage of the internet in current times.14-18 A comparison of teens with and without mobile devices suggests that 94% of teens who had access to the internet from mobile devices reported going online at least daily vs 68% of teens who do not have access to mobile devices.19-22 The current study also highlights that search engines and social networking are the most used applications online. Consistent findings indicated that social networking comprises 84% of the web audience in India and takes up 21% of all time spent online. Teens in 11th–12th grade use social networking sites the most, primarily Facebook, followed by WhatsApp and Google.23-26
The internet is a widely recognized channel for information exchange, academic research, entertainment, communication, and commerce today. Internet usage is highly individualistic; while some can effectively monitor and control their usage of the internet, others fail to do so, facing certain health and mental health-related concerns.27,28 The current study also highlights the positive factors associated with internet use. It was found that adolescents use the internet to learn new things, develop interests, update their knowledge, and share information with others. This behavior may be well explained by someone who identified five motivations for using the internet: interpersonal utility, pass time, information seeking, convenience, and entertainment.29 They underlined that internet users experienced self-development, a wide range of exposure, relaxation and leisure, and a higher global exchange of information and views.30 The use of the internet in itself does not impair interpersonal relations, but it was found that excessive internet usage for social or interpersonal functions leads to problems such as compulsive use of the internet, withdrawal from social activities, decreased tolerance, time management difficulty, and interpersonal and health problems.31-34 In the current study too, a significant percentage of students were found to engage in the internet to spend time on online gaming, find companionship, or seek support/advice online. If left unsupervised, such behaviors can lead to behavioral addiction, thereby affecting personal, social, and academic aspects of adolescents.35-41
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The study highlights the prevalence of internet use among adolescents in the northeastern region of India, and the associated positive and negative factors. It emphasizes that increased usage leads to various concerns, such as faulty coping mechanisms, poor social skills and interpersonal relationships, and increased dependency on the internet for problem-solving and daily tasks, which can lead to mental health issues among youngsters. However, significant usage is also for knowledge gain and the development of new interests, which are favorable for personal growth. It is important to note that the study was conducted in a private school, and the findings may not be generalizable to all adolescents in the region. However, the study provides valuable insights into the patterns of internet use.
Future research could focus on conducting longitudinal studies to understand the long-term effects of internet use on adolescent well-being. Exploring moderators and mediators, such as parental involvement and peer influence, could provide nuanced insights, which were not addressed in this study. Designing and evaluating targeted interventions, conducting comparative cross-cultural studies, and examining the impact of emerging technologies could also be crucial. Qualitative research on online relationships, age-specific studies, and investigations into coping mechanisms could be carried out. Assessing digital literacy and skills, particularly in the context of COVID-19, can inform strategies for promoting healthy internet use among adolescents.
DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT
DANS: Datasheet for internet use and addiction. DOI: 10.17026/dans-z7t-zxfx
This project contains the following underlying data:
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Datasheet for internet use and addiction: The datasheet contains sociodemographic information, item-wise analysis for internet use, and factors contributing to internet addiction.
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Data is available under the terms of the Creative Commons (CC-BY-4.0) license.
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