A Descriptive Study to Assess the Level of Internet Addiction among Adolescents: A Case Study of High Schools in Mangalore

Abstract

Adolescents are more vulnerable to internet addiction (IA) as they have less ability to control their enthusiasm for internet activities. In this study, a descriptive approach was used to assess the level of IA and its impact among high school students. A conceptual framework was based on Roy’s Adaptation Model. The tool consisted of a baseline proforma, a modified form of IA test and a structured questionnaire developed during the study. Those tools were employed to assess the level of IA and its impact among adolescents of English medium high schools. Opinions from fourteen experts were used to modify the tools for the validity. The reliability of the tool was determined by using a split half technique. The reliability was measured by Karl Pearson’s coefficient correlation and was found to be reliable. The study revealed that majority (70.5%) of the adolescents were normal users, 23% had a mild addiction, 6% had a moderate addiction and 0.5% had a severe addiction. The majority (73%) of samples had a mild impact, 16.5% had a moderate impact, and 10.5% had no impact. Some of their demographic variables like age, class, and occupation of fathers have significant associations with both IA and impact of IA.