Abstract:

The internet provides us with a wide range of information and effortless communication but its’ usage in excess can lead to internet addiction and is termed as problematic internet use. Internet addiction is increasing among the youth especially with the dawn of Covid-19 pandemic, due to the lockdowns imposed by the government. This study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of internet usage among students aged 15- 18 years of age. This is a cross sectional study conducted among school students of age group 15 to 18 years in Urban cities. Sample size of 300 was obtained from a study where prevalence was found to be 36.7%. A pre tested semi structured questionnaire (circulated as google forms) which included demographic details of the participants and questions regarding internet addiction was collected, data was entered in Microsoft Excel and analyzed using SPSS software. Among the 300 participants 49% of the participants play online games and about 61.7% of the participants resorted to sports as their extra-curricular activity. Among the participants who play online games 61.2% of them had played with their friends. Male sex was associated to have more incidence in playing online games, staying online longer than intended and making new relationships online which was found to be statistically significant. There was a significant association among those who play online games with those who didn’t have a play area nearby (p-0.035), Covid-19 pandemic (p<0.001) and among those residing in independent homes (p<0.001). This study shows us that male participants were addicted to the internet than female participants. Online gaming has increased with the new pandemic and measures should be taken to curtail their internet usage.

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