Abstract

Introduction: Internet was developed to make communication easier, quicker, and to facilitate
safe exchange of information. With ever increasing presence of internet in our work and leisure
related activities the boundaries between functional and dysfunctional internet usage have
become blurred. This study was conducted among medical students in a medical college in North
India with the objective to assess internet behavior pattern, to estimate the prevalence of internet
addiction and whether internet addiction impacts their academic performance. Methods:This
was a cross-sectional study conducted among medical students from a medical college in North
India. Internet Addiction was assessed using Internet Addiction Diagnostic Questionnaire,
developed by K. Young in 1997. This contains 20 questions that examine the symptoms of
internet addiction based upon a five-point Likert scale. Academic performance was assessed on
the basis of Internal & University marks obtained in last one year. Results: The study shows that
internet addiction is very common among medical students with 44.2% of medical students
having some level of addiction. Mild addiction was observed in 21.9% students with 13.1% &
9.2% of them having moderate and severe internet addiction respectively. Being Male, using
internet mostly for entertainment, starting to use internet at younger age, longer hours of internet
usage & more frequent use of it everyday were found to significantly impact levels of internet
addiction. It also had a significantly detrimental impact on academic performance.Conclusion: A
substantial number of students had internet addiction with negative impact on academic
performance. Immediate measures such as early diagnosis and management need to be taken to
safeguard their educational progress and long-term career goals